Taken By Force
by Fallen to Earth
Summary: When a simple surveillance mission goes horribly wrong, Sakura finds herself in the clutches of none other than the infamous Akatsuki! How does she cope with the very people she sought to destroy? Perhaps the Akatsuki are not as they seem.
1. Another lead

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, that belongs to someone who has a whole lot more money than me.

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It was a cool spring afternoon; Sakura Haruno had just finished her morning shift at the hospital and was now going in to check on Tsunade, Konoha's Hokage.

'She had better be working…' Sakura thought.

Of course, when Sakura knocked on the doorframe, there was no answer. She slid the door open and approached the Hokage's desk. On it was the sleeping frame of Tsunade.

"You know, you really shouldn't sleep on the scrolls. You're going to ruin them," Sakura muttered quietly, moving the scrolls from underneath Tsunade's arm. She walked over to the window, surveying the village.

'What a nice view, you can see the whole village from here.'

"Huh?" Sakura murmured. Down, dashing through the streets was a frantic-looking Shizune, carrying more scrolls than Sakura thought possible. Sakura sighed, 'she's probably getting all worked up over nothing.'

A moment later, Shizune burst into the room, tripping over her own feet, sending scrolls flying everywhere. Sakura helped her up and began collecting nearby scrolls.

"Oh thank you, Sakura-chan," Shizune bowed, then turned to Tsunade, "YOU'RE ASLEEP!? THOSE REPORTS WERE DUE AT NOON!"

Tsunade opened her eyes groggily, "Wh-what?"

Shizune grit her teeth, "the reports?"

"Ah, don't worry, those aren't due until noon! It's only…" Tsunade searched for a watch.

"Er… Tsunade-sama? It's three o'clock," Sakura supplied, "and you didn't get here until one thirty…"

"Ah, I see…" Tsunade picked up a pen and scratched a line of writing. "There, I'm done."

Shizune just stood with her mouth agape, "Th-that's... I-IT?!"

Tsunade looked at her for a moment, "yes."

Shizune looked from Tsunade to Sakura, and then fainted. Sakura dashed behind Shizune and caught her, gently lowering her to the floor.

"You know you over-work her," Sakura stated.

"Bah! She over-works herself."

Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"Fine, maybe you're right," Tsunade grabbed a nearby document and sighed melodramatically, "so much paperwork…" Her eyes skimmed the report, and grew serious.

Shizune, who was just waking up, noticed this, "what is it, Tsunade-sama?"

Tsunade pursed her lips and said, "It's the northern patrol squad, they've been ambushed."

"WHAT?!" Sakura and Shizune said in unison. Tsunade re-read the document, nodding.

"It says that one member was killed on the scene and the other three are in critical condition."

"Actually… one more is dead, if those were the ones I was treating earlier," Sakura whispered sadly. The room went silent; the three had their heads bowed in respect.

After several moments, Shizune spoke, "what happened?"

"Shizune, call in Shikamaru, Hinata, and Neji. If my memory serves me, the others are all on missions."

"Um, yes… that's right! But, may I ask who they're up against?"

"Brace yourselves… It's Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki. Oh, and don't forget to bring Naruto. It'll be a five man team."

"Er, Tsunade-sama… that's only four people…" Sakura began.

"Right! You're going too!" Tsunade exclaimed, "They'll need a medic and Itachi is Sasuke's brother… Maybe you could find some clues to his whereabouts."

Sakura gasped in realization. She bowed and ran to catch up with Shizune.

"Wait! I didn't even give you the mission!" Tsunade sighed. 'Oh well… I'm sure Shikamaru will come get it…' Tsunade thought before grabbing her sake.

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_**A/N: This is the first mini chapter to my first pairing fanfic. I hope you liked it, and I will update a lot and quickly, as long as I get some reviews!! Thanks a bunch!! **_


	2. Byakugan

**Hi, Really sorry I couldn't update. My parents decided to randomly whisk me off to god knows where for a week. Don't think that I'm the type to wait weeks between updates! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Nor do I own a spiffy joke to put in the disclaimer slot.**

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"This'll be great! We're finally coming close to finding Sasuke! Believe it!" Naruto exclaimed. The fifteen year old still hadn't become any less obnoxious, and it was really annoying Sakura.

"If you don't shut up, they'll know we're here!" shouted Sakura.

Shikamaru was just walking with his hands behind his head, muttering, "How troublesome," over and over. He stopped suddenly, motioning for the others to follow suit.

"Everyone, mask your chakra. We could approach them at any time."

Their mission was to stake out the pair and find out anything they could. They were not encouraged to fight, but they would if necessary.

The group sped up their pace, hoping to catch the two Akatsuki before nightfall.

Naruto fell into step with Sakura, catching her attention. "What is it Naruto?"

"I was just wondering if you think that this will bring us any closer to finding Sasuke?"

Sakura stared grimly ahead, "I sure hope so, Naruto."

Just then they heard a quiet, "stop," coming from behind. It was Hinata, her byakugan activated. Shikamaru stood beside her.

"Yo, what's up?" He asked.

"There's something w-wrong."

Neji joined them, "I sense it too, it's just too quiet." Neji and Hinata surveyed the territory for a moment.

"Wait, there in the bush… GET DOWN!" Neji yelled, pushing Hinata and Shikamaru off the branch. He whipped out a kunai and blocked three oncoming shuriken.

"Everyone! In defensive formation!" Shikamaru ordered. The group dropped to the forest floor, all standing back to back.

Seconds ticked by and nothing happened, then Shikamaru asked, "Neji, Hinata, where are they?"

"To the left, they appear to be hiding."

"Tsk, I bet they didn't count on two of the hyuuga clan to be here," Shikamaru noted.

"Wait. Their chakra is building. Oh, man… we're in for one heck of a fight," Sakura said anxiously.

"Come on! Let's get them already!" Shouted Naruto.

"NARUTO DUCK!" Wailed Hinata as a kunai sailed inches from Naruto's nose.

"Be on your guard!" Raged Shikamaru. He leapt to the side, dodging a kunai that became embedded in the ground nearby.

Sakura did a double take on the kunai, her eyes widened, "Oh my! Everyone scatter! It's an explosive note!"

The group leapt away, dividing itself.

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"Look at that Itachi, your plan actually worked."

"Hn."

"Well who do you wanna take down?" The blue man asked.

"Hn, you take the two girls and the guy with the tight ponytail," the other man replied.

"Then you've got the hyuuga and the kyuubi's container."

"Hn." The pair leapt into action. When the Konoha ninja tried to return to their defensive position, Itachi and Kisame blocked them, eyeing their prey.

"Hey little brats," Kisame taunted, waving his sword, the Samehada, "I'm your opponent now."

Shikamaru, Hinata and Sakura were all startled by the sudden appearance but formed a primitive formation all the same. Before they could engage in battle, Shikamaru filled the other two in.

"Alright, ahead here we've got Kisame Hoshigaki, formerly one of the seven shinobi swordsmen. Currently a missing nin from the Village Hidden in the Mist. Be careful of his sword, the Samehada. It will suck your chakra dry and rip half your skin off along with it."

"Ah, I just love hearing people talk about me, but you know what," Kisame said, baring his sword, "that knowledge won't improve your fighting skills!"

Kisame charged at them, swinging the Samehada in a wide arc. Sakura stomped her foot into the ground, creating a small chasm under Kisame. He lost his balance for a moment and took his eyes off his targets.

"Oh, you're stronger than you look. This could be fun!"

He attempted to raise his weapon for a second strike, but found he was fastened to the ground.

"What the hell?"

"Hm. Walked right into that one, didn't we?" Shikamaru smirked, "that's my shadow possession jutsu. Face it, you're completely under my control." He nodded at Hinata, "Okay, go get him!"

Hinata dashed over, and prepared for her specialized jutsu, Protection of the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms.

She struck once, twice, then…

Hinata was stopped, a rough blue hand squeezing her throat. "How d-did you?" She gasped.

"Just take a little look over at your friend kunoichi." Kisame rotated his wrist so she could turn her head.

Shikamaru was doubled over, two shuriken embedded deeply into his side. Sakura was kneeling next to him, an aura of chakra seeping from her hands to heal him.

"Oh n-no!" Hinata shrieked.

"I don't envy your friend there… when Itachi throws, he doesn't miss. I expect, at least, a punctured lung or a few broken ribs."

Hinata took this opportunity to land a solid kick on Kisame's stomach. He released her with a groan of pain before snarling and uttering curses.

Hinata was about to place a well-aimed punch at his neck, but she wasn't fast enough. Kisame did a 180 degree turn, so her punch collided with the Samehada, draining her chakra and severing her arm.

Sakura watched all this while healing Shikamaru. His wounds were more severe than you would expect from shuriken. Instead of making a clean slice, they made a ragged cut, ripping the skin as they entered.

'Damn, damn, damn it! I've got to do something!' Sakura thought. "Hang in there Shikamaru, I'll be right back!"

Sakura rose slowly, facing Kisame. He was holding Hinata by the collar, but when seeing Sakura, with kunai in hand, threw her to the ground.

"Oh lookie, another little kuniochi to play with," growled Kisame.

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Hope you liked a little fight scene, more to come!! Please review, it inspires me to continue writing!**


	3. Demon Unleashed

**I don't own Naruto**

**Thanks to all those who reviewed, it keeps me writing! **

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**During the Kisame fight…**

"Is this Itachi Uchiha?" Neji asked.

"The very same," Naruto replies coldly. He eyes the man who was responsible for his friend's betrayal.

"Anything I should know about him?"

"Well obviously he has the sharingan, and I think he's really strong. He was made an ANBU team leader at the age of thirteen."

Neji made a low whistle, "so how are we going to beat him?"

Performing his signature hand sign, Naruto said, "as quickly and cruelly as possible." Then created over fifty shadow clones.

'Why isn't he doing anything?' Neji thought as he studied the Akatsuki, who appeared to be… bored?!

Naruto sent clones in waves of ten, but everytime they were close enough to touch Itachi, they would disappear in smoke.

Neji saw the real Naruto getting more and more frustrated, so it wasn't surprising that he didn't notice the slight change in his enemy's eyes.

However, with Neji's byakugan, be could tell instantly when things were getting dangerous.

With a calculated burst of chakra, Neji propelled himself at his comrade. 'If I can just go a little faster,' he thought.

Naruto was just about to use his rasengan jutsu, when he was hit roughly from the side.

"What the- Neji?!" What's going on?"

"He's planning something big, I can sense it!"

Naruto gave Neji an odd look, "he hasn't done anything."

Neji just shook his head. Then Itachi spoke, "You two are useless. I had hoped that at least the kyuubi would prove some kind of worth, but I was disappointed."

"Take that back, teme!" Naruto growled.

Itachi just smirked.

Naruto felt the rage building up. He could feel it shooting from his core, the kyuubi's red chakra growing. Then he felt the transformation. His face felt like it was splitting apart, searing with fire. He glanced down at his nails, which had elongated and formed points. His thoughts narrowed on one topic, 'kill.'

Naruto charged at his target, chakra blazing. Neji followed suit, letting his arms be carried backwards by the wind.

Sakura saw Naruto's transformation out of the corner of her eye, but had bigger things to worry about.

With Shikamaru and Hinata both gravely injured, Sakura was the only one left to defeat Kisame.

'This isn't going to be a walk in the park. He's still completely untouched, whereas I've almost run out of chakra.' She thought.

She began circling Kisame, watching his movements, searching for a weak point.

"Hey, kuniochi! I haven't got all day, so if you're not going to attack, I will!" With that, Kisame burst forward, chakra propelling his feet.

Sakura stood her ground, eyes on the Samehada. As it came swooping at her, she leapt into the air, coming down behind Kisame. She barely touched down before having to dodge again.

'Shoot he's fast,' Sakura thought, 'but I'm faster!'

Sakura made a hand sign, then leapt into the air above Kisame's head.

"I've got you now, kunoichi!" Kisame shouted, then brought his sword down hard on Sakura's shoulder.

She fell to the ground, arm torn and hanging awkwardly from her shoulder wound. Kisame let out a victory cry, but then stopped as the girl lying in front of him vanished, replaced with a log.

"Substitution jutsu?!"

Kisame barely had time to turn around before he was hit over the head with the trunk of a large tree, that's right, a tree.

Sakura threw the trunk aside, then stood over the near-unconscious Kisame.

"Too bad, fish-boy, it looks like the 'little kuniochi' won this round." Then Sakura placed her heel on the pressure point at the base of his neck, "nighty-night," and pressed.

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**_Hm, this seemed a whole lot longer on paper... oh well, please R&R!_**


	4. Two So Similar

Disclaimer: This site should come with an automatic 'I dont own Naruto'.

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The second Kisame was defeated, Sakura rushed over to aid Naruto and Neji against Itachi. Naruto was down on all fours, his Kyuubi chakra whipping around him. Neji was a couple of steps back, watching Naruto in amazement. 

Sakura ran up beside Neji, grasping his arm, "Are you guys okay?"

Neji replied, "this fight is going nowhere, Naruto exhausted his chakra, then became this." He said pointing to his comrade. Sakura just shook her head in amazement. She had just heard about the Kyuubi residing in Naruto from Tsunade-sama. She almost pitied Itachi for being on the receiving end of it.

Then Naruto leapt, his chakra burning behind him. He made a swipe at Itachi, but was countered and Naruto hit a nearby tree roughly.

"Naruto!" Sakura made a move to help her teammate, but Neji held her back.

"No, this is their fight." Sakura nodded, tears in her eyes. She knew why Naruto became so violent. He was remembering Sasuke. For Neji and her to rush in would just anger Naruto, possibly causing them harm. They didn't know how he would react in his current state.

"Wait, Neji! Go and get help! We're only about half an hour from Konoha, and Shikamaru and Hinata need medical attention. I'd do it, but my chakra is too low," Proclaimed Sakura, mentally smacking herself for forgetting about her team.

Neji glanced at the two wounded, "alright, but try to bandage them up a bit. I don't know how long I'll be." Sakura nodded and ran to help her friends.

Meanwhile, Naruto was still making futile attempts to kill the Akatsuki. Every swipe he made was blocked then countered. He couldn't get near him with his sharingan. Then he had a plan.

Naruto ran a short distance from his opponent. He thrust his fist into the ground, and with a burst of chakra, the earth in front of Itachi burst, distracting him. Itachi ran his katana through the Naruto that created the blast, oblivious that it was a shadow clone.

Then the real Naruto erupted from the ground behind Itachi, ready to strike. He raised his fist and looked at his soon-to-be dead opponent. Itachi turned and looked Naruto straight in the eyes, his _mangekyo_ sharingan activated. Naruto collapsed.

Itachi gripped Naruto by the throat, "I would have thought the Kyuubi's container would be able to resist a mere forty-eight hours of my genjutsu, pity." He threw Naruto to the ground.

Sakura was confused, 'why did Naruto just collapse like that?' She saw Itachi kick Naruto's unconscious form and turn his gaze to her. She bit her lip and slowly stood.

"I wouldn't stick around here if I was you!" She shouted, trying to stay brave, "Our Hokage will be here with reinforcements any minute! So take your partner and go!" Itachi just stared coldly at the frightened ninja and in an instant his hand was gripped tightly around her neck.

"Listen closely, kunoichi. No one tells me what to do, especially not some petty Konoha ninja fresh out of the academy."

"You bastard! I'm fifteen!" Gasped Sakura.

Itachi smirked, "so pathetic, I'm not going to kill you, you're not worth it."

Sakura gasped as she realized that was the phrase Sasuke used to whisper to himself when he practiced his taijutsu.

"Don't you ever call me weak!" Sakura spat at Itachi. Itachi's gaze turned deadly, but in that instant, something stirred behind him.

"Heh, I bet that's Tsunade now, so put me down and she may not kill you!"

"Guess again, kunoichi," a familiar voice said.

"Oh Kisame, it is nice of you to join us."

Sakura groaned, 'this does not look good.' "So fish-boy, woke up already? That must be one hard head you've got."

Kisame raised his hand to reach the hilt of the Samehada, but Itachi stopped him.

"The kunoichi here seems positive that help is on the way. Go see how far away they are."

"Fine," Kisame grunted, shooting a glare at Sakura.

"So kunoichi-," Itachi began.

"Stop calling me that!" Sakura interrupted.

"Calling you what, kunoichi?" Itachi smirked. His smirk was so similar to Sasuke's she almost felt her heart breaking once again.

She recovered quickly and glared angrily, but was startled to see a strange sharingan looking back.

Suddenly her world started to melt away, leaving her tied to a post in the middle of nowhere.

"Wh-what is this?" Sakura shouted. There was no reply.

She struggled against her bonds, but couldn't get free. Sakura then tried to summon her chakra to break the bonds, but it seemed she had depleted her source.

Minutes ticked by, then a figure emerged from the shadows, 'Oh thank you! Finally someone has come!' She thought. Her spirit plummeted when she saw that it was Itachi.

"Hey you! Stay back! I told you Tsunade-sama is coming and soon!"

"She won't come here," Itachi said, drawing his katana. He held it steady, then plunged it into her stomach.

Sakura shrieked and Itachi smirked. Then more of the Uchiha appeared, and in turn they slowly stabbed her.

'This is ridiculous! I'm getting stabbed, but not- Ahh- dying. This has to be some sort of- Ahh- genjutsu.'

Hours in the hellish realm passed, and Sakura was beginning to lose hope.

"Had enough, kunoichi?" Sakura moaned softly, "don't worry, you only have twelve hours left."

Sakura felt three more blades pierce her skin, then pain ripped through her and she blacked out.

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**Everyone is so nice! I'm loving the reviews! Keep telling me what you thing! Praise and constructive criticism welcomed, but flames... become mushy pulp on the ground :) **


	5. Yin and Yang

Disclaimer: Even if I did say I owned Naruto, who would believe me?

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Itachi felt the kunoichi slip into unconsciousness. 'They never survive once they black-out,' Itachi thought with no remorse. Itachi lessened the intensity of the genjutsu, waiting for her heart to stop beating. He stooped over her form, which was lying still in his domain, and felt for a pulse. It was faint.

Just when Itachi thought she was dead, her heartbeat quickened. Itachi took a step back, questioning the situation. 'No one has ever recovered here, it's simply impossible.' Itachi waited for the kunoichi to regain consciousness, his katana ready to strike.

'This'll make her wish she never did wake up.' Itachi waited, but Sakura never did open her eyes. Instead she started to perform a complicated genjutsu release technique, one that would surely defeat the mangekyo.

'I can't believe what I'm seeing. If she knew how to defeat my technique, why didn't she do so earlier? Unless…' Itachi's eyes widened in shock, 'she developed it… _while unconscious?!'_

Itachi was deeply troubled. Not only had this pathetic chuunin destroyed his jutsu, it appeared as though her chakra flourished in his realm, allowing her to complete the release. Normally it would feel to the victim that their chakra had been sucked dry, not the opposite!

Slowly the surroundings changed back to the earlier battlefield.

Itachi was fed up and was going to end this useless fight when the most unusual thing happened. Her chakra _changed._ Itachi could not believe his senses. It was almost as if another person had taken over, someone a little more deadly than the first.

"Now you filthy Akatsuki, listen here!" 'Sakura' stood slowly, eyes still closed.

'Even if her eyes are closed, how come it still feels like she's watching me?' Itachi thought, flabbergasted.

To test his theory, Itachi threw a kunai straight at her forehead. At the last second, 'Sakura' threw her hand up, catching the kunai between her middle and index fingers.

'So she _is _watching me,' he thought, smirking. Just then he noticed something, a flicker behind the eyelids, the same as that on a person sleeping.

"Your petty little tricks aren't going to work on me! You may have defeated one of us, but that's only half the battle!" 'Sakura' declared.

'So this is another consciousness, then. So to win this fight all I have to do is wake her up. Seems simple enough,'

Itachi never was one for close combat, but it seemed he would have to actually hit her for the kunoichi to awaken.

'What's the point of making me move to hit her, I'll just send a shadow clone.' And with that Itachi sent two shadow clones to try to awaken the girl.

The real Sakura was confused. 'What on earth is happening?' Her eyes were closed and her body was moving on its own accord. She could hear talking, but it was faint almost like she was behind a wall, blocked off.

Then she heard a voice, a great echoing one, "just relax, it's my turn to fight this loser. Don't worry, I'll kick his ass." Sakura then realized that it was her, the voice in her head that always pushed her to do better, to train harder. Her body was in capable hands.

Itachi's shadow clones dashed at the kuniochi, weapons clashing. All that could be seen was a blur of pink, black and red. The clones could never get close enough to hit Inner Sakura, and Inner Sakura could never find an opening to counter attack.

'Now let's see… If the previous mind was more perceptive, but not quite as skilled, that means that this one will be the skill and not as smart,' Itachi concluded, forming hand signs.

He smirked then slowly pointed at his target. Suddenly it started to rain, slowly at first, and then it increased. Soon it was approaching hurricane worthy standards.

Sakura was still stuck in the darkness, but could now feel her body dodging attacks, 'I'm becoming more aware of what I'm doing, this can't end well.' Sakura felt her body becoming her own again.

"Sakura! He's sending me back, you have to be ready to fight the second you regain control, if not, his clones will kill you!" Inner Sakura screeched, voice receding back into Sakura's mind.

'Just as I thought, if any outside force collides with her body, she wakes,' Itachi thought.

Sakura's eyes snapped open, she was fighting the clones, and they were much faster than her current self. Just then she felt a strong presence behind her, then all went black once again.

"I didn't need your help, Kisame," Itachi stated.

"Maybe not, but we have to get out of here, her team is going to be here any minute."

Sure enough, Itachi could feel the chakra of a large number of reinforcements nearing.

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Whoopie! 'Nother chapter! Thank you to all who review! It keeps me writing, and always will! No flames please, they make me angry. Criticism welcomed! 


	6. In Your Debt, Sakura

Okay here's the new chapter! Not a whole lot happens, more of just explanations. Hope the length is a little better! Oh ya and I don't own Naruto. Oh ya, and if anyone has a better title for this story, please let me know. This one is driving me crazy!

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Kisame watched cooly as the kunoichi he just knocked out collapsed at his feet. Sure Itachi didn't want Kisame to interfere, but time was running out. The pair had been sent to Konoha to retrieve information on the whereabouts of the Kyuubi's container. They did not anticipate the arrival of an ANBU patrol squad, nor did they suspect the very person tracking them _was_ the Kyuubi. 

'I suppose it was rather fortunate he was sent,' Kisame thought as he nudged the girl with his foot. Her vibrant pink hair was a mess by now, a huge amount of dirt and leaves tangled within. If his memory served him right, this was the Kyuubi's teammate for the three-man squad he usually traveled in, along with Hatake Kakashi, the copy ninja.

In Kisame's opinion, there weren't a whole lot of kunoichi that could fight as well as this one had. Actually he could count on one hand the female ninja that could hold their own against him. Of course, one of them included the leader's partner, and no one messed with her. You had to give this girl props for beating one of the shinobi swordsmen.

Kisame could feel the enemy's chakra nearing. It was time for them to go, unless they wanted half of Konoha against them. He surveyed the battle grounds. Itachi and he managed to defeat four shinobi, all probably ranking at least chuunin. 'Not bad,' Kisame mentally gave himself a pat on the back, even though he did end up unconscious.

There were a number of seriously wounded ninja, the hyuuga had an unfortunate encounter with his Samehada, Itachi butchered another nin with a couple shuriken and then tortured the pink haired kunoichi with the mangekyo. Although Itachi did seem a little more pissed than usual, Kisame suspected more transpired between the two. Now that he thought about it, Itachi was fighting that girl when he returned, Kisame could have sworn that she'd be unconscious from the genjutsu… unless…

Kisame smiled to himself, 'this little squirt must have broken the genjutsu, not bad, not bad at all.'

Itachi was angry. Not only had the pathetic kunoichi escaped his technique, Kisame had to return to find him struggling to defeat her. He glared at Kisame, hoping to remind him that they had better be going. "Kisame," he growled.

Kisame was snapped out of his thoughts by Itachi's glare. This mission had not been a good one for Itachi, he would probably be in a foul mood for then next few hours. Not that he glared less or was any nicer when in a good mood.

"Are we going to take the Kyuubi's container with us?" Kisame asked.

"He's not quite yet needed, nor was it part of our mission to obtain him," Itachi replied.

"Well then, are we just going to leave empty handed?"

Itachi gave a sickening smirk, directed at the unconscious pink-haired kunoichi, "not quite."

Kisame chuckled; apparently this kunoichi grabbed his partner's interest. Once in a while, the pair would stumble across an opponent who can best Itachi, when that happens, Itachi would force them to fight him again and again. He would do this in order to better his jutsus, since no one in the Akatsuki can surpass his mangekyo.

'So this one _did _find a way out, unfortunately that just means she'll be forced to spar with Itachi on a daily basis, be his little toy.' This also meant that by the time Itachi could understand why she was able to defeat him, her mind would be destroyed.

The last shinobi to be taken hostage by the Akatsuki was useful for about a week. Itachi would work himself to the bone trying to improve his jutsus. Although, now that Itachi had become near unstoppable, the number of ninja that could win against him dwindled. This girl was quite a find.

Itachi's mood was improving. It had been quite some time since he had an opponent to better himself against. The last one had a strange ninjutsu that gave Itachi very little time to perform his techniques. By the time that ninja could be defeated, Itachi developed his jutsus to an incredible level. He was now able to activate his genjutsu by simply pointing the finger he made the hand signs with at the victim, it was foolproof. At least it was until now. Since he had found another shinobi that can break out of his techniques he knew he may finally become infinitely strong.

"Are you sure leader will allow this?" inquired Kisame.

Itachi ignored this, scooping the girl into his arms. 'She's light, no wonder she can move so fast,' thought Itachi. At that moment, Itachi felt incredibly strong chakra enter the battleground. He spun around to see three jounin sprinting towards them. 'Too late.'

He signaled to Kisame, then disappeared in a puff of smoke. Of course it was only a smoke bomb, but it did the trick. Within seconds, the pair had covered a great distance, too far to catch now.

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Back at the battleground, Tsunade and Shizune were helping the wounded. 

"How could this had happened? Did we underestimate our opponents that badly?" Tsunade cried. Shizune just shook her head, at loss for words. This was a tragedy, so many young ninja injured, and one… "Sakura… They took her, why?" Tsunade asked sadly. Again Shizune just shook her head.

The medics were carrying off Hinata and Shikamaru, both needed immediate attention. Naruto appeared to be alright, but needed rest. 'What could have happened to Naruto? He has hardly any injuries, yet he's out cold,' Shizune wondered as she helped lay him on a stretcher. 'Akatsuki, not a force to be reckoned with, I knew we should have sent more experienced ninja!'

Neji, who had sent for help, was horrified. He knew he shouldn't have left, for this very reason. If Naruto failed to defeat the Akatsuki, then all that would remain is Sakura. It's not that he thought she was weak; it's just that she would be against an S-ranked criminal. Although, something must have happened, because they kidnapped her, and left Naruto, the reason they came to Konoha in the first place. Whatever it was, it saved everyone's lives. They owed it to Sakura to save her.

Neji approached Tsunade, "Tsunade-sama, it seems to me that Sakura-san was taken as bait for Naruto. Also, they left no trace of where they are headed. I think we should send a group in the direction they escaped in; perhaps we might run into a clue."

"Hai, I will discuss this once we return to Konoha." Tsunade was worried, although Sakura had grown strong from the three odd years of training, she was still a child. Being abducted by the Akatsuki could traumatize her, at least if they ever retrieved her.

No, they would find Sakura, even if Tsunade had to go get her herself.

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**Hope you liked it, if not, criticizm welcome. I am kinda skeptical about this chapter, I basically just threw it together. If it should be improved just tell me. **

**So I got a lot of review saying that Sakura better not end up a weak little kunoichi, like she's frequently portrayed. Well I've only watched up to the 4th Shippuden episode and I can see how much she's improved. So don't worry, Sakura will definately NOT be a weakling. So to prove that, this chapter has a whole lot of praise towards her, if you've noticed :)**

**I also had a few review saying the chapters should be longer. So to comply with that I will try to make each one around 1300 words or so, okay? But that also means it may take me more than one day to write. **

**Okay then please review, I need the support/help. Ja ne!**


	7. Seal Weakened, Strength Released

_Hey dudes, it's me! Once again here's another chapter! Thank you to those who reviewed. You are now part of the honorary "keep the author writing" club! Oh yes, and I don't own Naruto!_

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Once again, Sakura was in the darkness. And slowly, all of her senses died out, all but one. Although she could not see, it just meant nothing was there, not that her eyes had failed her.

Sakura continued to stare blankly into the darkness. All of her earlier emotion had faded, leaving only a content, mediocre felling. She glanced down at her left arm, where she had cut it on a branch during the fight. The pain was gone, but the wound wasn't.

"So I guess I'm still alive, otherwise that wouldn't, no… shouldn't be there," she concluded hesitantly. Then she heard a small chuckle emanating from behind.

"Oh no, you… we are very much alive," the voice said, becoming clearer with each syllable. Sakura spun around, searching for the intruder.

"Who are you? What am I doing here?" She shouted blindly. Just as she spoke, a figure emerged from the dark. Sakura stared calmly at the person. They had a familiar face… it was herself.

The copy started towards Sakura with an open face and a sad smile. "So I guess my efforts didn't help much, did they?"

"That was you, or I guess… me?" The other Sakura shrugged, and then laughed. Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"Sorry, I suppose I should explain all this," she gestured with her arms, "welcome to your mind." Then it was as if a light switch had been flicked on. The pair was standing in a pale pink room, about the size of an academy classroom. The walls were knotted and irregular, similar to tree bark and also seemed to pulse in time to Sakura's heartbeat.

Sakura took a deep breath and smacked her lips, "alright, what kind of stupid genjutsu is this?"

Other Sakura just laughed again. "I so knew you were going to say that. We're connected, you see?" She pointed to her head. "I'm Inner Sakura from the fight, don't you remember? I borrowed your body for a while since you used up all your chakra."

Sakura's eyes widened, "you borrowed… my body?!" 'What kind of sick joke is this? And why is there another me?' she thought angrily. Inner Sakura just shook her head.

"Alright, listen here. I. Can. Read. Your. Mind. Or better yet, our mind, got that? We are one and the same; I've just become a little more separate than I should be." Inner Sakura grinned ferociously, "I may have been away a while, but you don't have to forget me. Let's see…" Inner Sakura stroked her chin, "right! I believe I helped out a little during your first chuunin exam, in the Forest of Death? You see, back then I was more of an emotion, than an actual being."

"Wh-what emotion?" Sakura asked hesitantly. She knew her inner self, but it was just a little hard to comprehend the fact that it came to life.

"Hm… I guess I would be… desire, or passion, whichever." Sakura nodded, it had been a while, but this was definitely Inner Sakura. "So do we have an understanding?" Sakura nodded.

"I do have one question, how are you standing here, I mean in front of me?"

Inner Sakura's grin widened, "now that is something I've been dying to answer! Now pay attention, this is crucial information. When we were about four and a half, we displayed some above-average qualities, qualities such as agility, endurance, strength, and stamina. Your parents thought it was inhuman, so they sought the help of the Third Hokage."

Inner Sakura continued, "The Third tested your abilities and suggested we become a ninja, since we showed the elements of a genius." Sakura gasped.

"A genius, me?!"

"Yes, us. Now shh!" Inner Sakura held a finger to her lips, "We could have been great, but your parents weren't into that sort of profession, so they had your abilities sealed away." Inner Sakura smiled grimly.

Sakura just shook her head, "no, I don't believe this. I've wanted to become a kunoichi since… since forever! They wouldn't have done this!"

"You think I don't know?! That I wasn't aware when they shut me up in some shitty cage deep in your subconscious?!" Inner Sakura hissed furiously.

"You mean… it was you they sealed?"

"Yea, it was me."

Sakura put a hand on her Inner self's shoulder, "I didn't know, I'm sorry… but tell me, how is it that you're out of that cage?"

Inner Sakura wiped away the tear that was making its way down her face, "that's where they messed up. It seems that as your strength increased, the seal weakened. Don't ask me how; it was just one day I was able to talk to you. Then after a few years I was able to walk around freely again. It's such a relief to be able to be able to fight again!"

"So, I get your power?" Sakura asked excitedly.

Inner Sakura shrugged, "it seems that the seal doesn't work without your chakra, so when you're really tired I can come out to help. I think that's what happened earlier."

Sakura nodded, "wait, so why am I here, not out where I should be?"

"I guess you were knocked out or something, 'cause your not dead… yet."

"YET?!" Inner Sakura laughed.

"Just kidding, relax! There is one problem though… I think you were taken by the Akatsuki."

"How do you know?"

"Well just as your vision was fading I saw one of them lean down over us."

"That is very bad. If my emotions weren't so muted I'm pretty sure I would be freaking out," Sakura stated. Inner Sakura just smirked.

"Well you know that if you're ever in a bind, I can help out."

"Wait, you're going? Don't leave me here!" Sakura pleaded.

"I'm not going anywhere, you are. You're waking up, silly!" Inner Sakura waved goodbye.

Sakura desperately tried to grab hold to something as she was lifted off the ground and sent back to that blank nothingness. She stood, angrily crossing her arms as she slowly returned to the physical world.

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**_Hope you had fun reading this, I sure loved writing it! Please give your feedback on my writing, it's the only way these story's will get any better! _**


	8. Stirring Up Feeling

Sigh School's starting soon...

Well yesterday was my birthday, so that is why there was no update :( but yay, cuz I got my own computer, therefore I can write whenever! I also got an Orochimaru plushie... Thank you Janel, Danielle, and Ali. I will get you back.

Oh yes for all of those who think that I own Naruto, I don't. I wish I did, but I don't. If I owned the manga, Deidara would be very much alive and Sasuke would be very much dead.

Oh yes, as you know all reviews are cherished and loved! o

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Kisame and Itachi had been walking in silence. After the fight they were both tired and aggravated. A couple hours prior, Kisame had tried making conversation, but that just ended when Itachi threatened to make sushi out of him. So silence it was.

Itachi was carrying Sakura bridal-style. This was so that she couldn't surprise him if she suddenly awoke. He hoped that the kunoichi wouldn't, he was tired and didn't want trouble. He glanced down at her pale face and squinted to get a better look at her features. His vision was a little worse for wear these days.

Her breath was slowly escaping her slightly parted lips, and her chest was rising and falling rhythmically. Her face was flawless except for a small cut on her right cheek. It appeared that the girl had tried to heal it, but ran low on chakra. Itachi found it hard to believe that the innocent woman in his arms was such a fierce fighter.

Itachi was deep in thought when he heard Kisame clear his throat. He was about to shoot Kisame the 'get lost' glare, but stopped when he noticed how late it had gotten. How long had been staring at the kunoichi for?

Kisame had noticed how Itachi would constantly stare; no… gaze at the girl nestled in his arms. It was odd for Itachi to even look at a woman, never mind become infatuated with one. Kisame prayed he was only savoring their triumph, or else Leader may need to intervene. And if that happened, it could only result in bloodshed.

The moon had risen quite high in the sky before the pair decided to set up camp. With only a few stars peeking through the canopies, getting the tent up would take much longer than intended. With any luck, they would have about four hours of sleep before dawn.

Itachi was very little help with his eyesight being so bad, so Kisame had to complete most of the work. While Kisame busied himself with that, Itachi found a nearby spring in which to wash the blood and dirt that had latched onto him earlier off. He propped Sakura up against a tree trunk before approaching the water.

The moon was directly over the clearing the pond was located in, bathing the water in and eerie silvery glow. A low fog had rolled in, shielding his ankles and adding to the ambiance. He silently slipped off his black and red cloak and removed his hat. Clad in a netted shirt and black knee-length shorts, he walked on the surface of the spring.

It was a small pond, only about twenty square meters. Itachi stood in the center, enjoying his solitude.

He stood relaxed with his head inclined to the stars for a few minutes before slowly releasing his chakra; sinking into the frigid waters.

Sakura rubbed her eyes wearily. She had just gotten back from her 'trip,' and was still dangerously low on chakra. She peered at her surroundings. As her eyes adjusted, she saw that she was in a forest. Perhaps she wasn't kidnapped after all? That thought quickly dispersed when she saw an Akatsuki cloak and straw hat lying beside her.

Then Sakura heard a splash coming from her left. She turned her head just in time to catch Uchiha Itachi glaring angrily in her direction, sharingan blazing.

Itachi ran his fingers along the water's calm surface. The once glass-like pond rippled at the disturbance. Itachi smiled the smile he showed no one, and only revealed when he was completely alone. It was the water that made him smile. How it would wrinkle in anger when agitated, yet always became calm once again, holding no grudges.

Itachi allowed the water to settle, then took a peek at his reflection. He rarely saw himself looking like this, carefree and happy. He gazed at the smile that played on his lips. It reminded him of his mother…

His smile faded, and his eyes grew cold. His reflection now showed his father, with the serious face and angry scowl. Itachi lashed out at the image, splashing loudly. How he hated these constant reminders of his past, his mistakes, and his failures.

Not a single day passed when he didn't reminisce about his past life. Back in Konoha he had been a respected and adored member of society, out here he was just a criminal. Of course he did enjoy being a wanted man, but he wished he didn't have to resort to such extreme measures in order to obtain that status. Of all the Akatsuki, Itachi was the one who had to suffer the most in order to join. He was the one with the most family ties that needed to be severed.

Itachi took a deep breath, trying to calm himself before someone heard him. The sharingan still burned in his eyes when he felt a presence behind him. He turned to identify the intruder when he saw a figure slowly pick themselves up; it was the kunoichi, she was awake.

Sakura scrambled to gain steady footing as Itachi strolled towards her. His sharingan may have been deactivated, but that didn't make him any less menacing. Sakura was too weak to stand, so she clung to the tree meekly.

Itachi didn't mean to startle the girl with his burst of fury, so he extended his arms towards her, pressuring her to remain calm. Sakura, of course, could not be calm when an S-ranked criminal was approaching her while she was defenseless.

Her legs started to quiver uncontrollably and her breath came out in ragged gasps. Itachi was nearing now, but instead of anger in his eyes, there was an apologetic look.

Itachi stepped off of the water and continued towards Sakura. "Kunoichi, I did not mean to startle you," he explained slowly. Sakura could not believe he didn't try to kill her, so her legs gave out and she collapsed.

Itachi darted forwards to catch the weary ninja. He cursed himself for revealing his emotions so recklessly. For all he knew, they were still being tracked.

Sakura gaped at her enemy. He had helped her. Such courtesy was unheard of among villains. She was too tired to move, so she just lay in his arms while she caught her breath.

Itachi sighed; he almost didn't grab her in time. That may have caused unneeded injury. He watched the kunoichi regain her breath, then smirked as she looked back at him.

Sakura looked into Itachi's eyes, why is he being so nice to me? I tried to kill im today. In fact, I should be dead.' Inner Sakura piped up, ' **too true. He does seem a little fascinated by us… how odd. I'd tell you to kick his ass, but with the moon catching his hair like that…' **Despite the circumstances, Itachi was very good looking, but Sakura was not about to deal with that.

Sakura almost screamed, 'No! You can't be thinking that! That would mean the betrayal of Konoha and not to mention it's just plain sick! He's an S-ranked criminal, off-limits!'

Sakura narrowed her eyes at her captor, "put me down!"

With that, Itachi smirked and released her, dropping her roughly. "Ouch, you jerk!"

"Shut up, kunoichi," he replied coldly.

'**So much for niceties' **

"It's Sakura."

"Hn?" Itachi raised an eyebrow quizzically.

"My name's Sakura, not kunoichi." Itachi tilted his head thoughtfully.

"Your name does not concern me, you're simply practice." And with that he picked up his belongings and threw Sakura over his shoulder, making his way back to camp, but he didn't do so without that slight smile returning to his lips.

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I will leave you with that little tidbit. Please review, or else... lightning flash But no flames, or I'll haunt you forever. 


	9. A BloodTainted Thought

_Hey, aren't I busy! Two chapters in one day, whoot! (note the complete and utter sarcasm.) Anyway, enjoy. I love the reviews (I can't believe I'm actually getting some for this story!)_

_Still don't own Naruto._

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Kisame wipe his brow. He had finally pitched the tent. 

'Hm, Itachi should be back by now. It's been what? Twenty minutes?' Kisame thought as he removed his robe and prepared for bed. 'I sure hope that the kunoichi didn't awaken and cause trouble. Actually I hope Itachi didn't cause trouble for her.' Kisame yawned and retired into the tent.

Itachi came about fifteen minutes later, cursing under his breath at Sakura, who would not keep still.

"I'm telling you, if you let me go, I won't have to hurt you!" She screamed at him over his shoulder.

"And I'm telling you, _kunoichi_, you are not in a position to be making demands!" Sakura fell silent, knowing this argument was going nowhere.

"Kisame, are you there?" Itachi called into the tent.

"Hn, what is it?" He replied groggily.

"Where is she gonna sleep?" Itachi motioned to Sakura.

"What?! You didn't set up a tent for me?" Sakura raged, beating her fists against Itachi's back.

"I see our little prisoner's awake," Kisame pointed out.

"Yeah, but she has no chakra left. She should be exhausted, but unfortunately she hasn't stopped screaming since she woke up," Itachi said, rolling his eyes.

"Heh, you know... I could cut out her tongue for you," Kisame grinned wickedly. Sakura covered her mouth with her hands, squeaking nervously.

"I don't think that will be necessary," Itachi smirked.

"Too bad, we could have had some fun," Kisame said, pointed teeth still bared.

'**If either of them even THINKS about hurting us, I'll gut 'em!' **Inner Sakura growled. Sakura just glared at Kisame over Itachi's shoulder.

"Heh, her glare's almost as good as yours, Itachi," Kisame said, laughing.

"Sleeping arrangements?" Itachi reminded his partner.

"Ah yes... well I do suppose she'll have to stay in the tent," Kisame eyed her evilly, "and I suppose she'll sleep in the middle, between us, since we don't want her escaping or anything." Sakura's eyes widened.

"Hn," Itachi muttered, still smirking.

"Oh no, I don't think so!" Sakura shouted, causing Kisame to withdraw a kunai.

"Watch your tongue, kunoichi. You don't want want to see it lying on the grass in front of you now."

"It's Sakura," she whispered. Kisame knit his brows together.

"Her name is Sakura," Itachi clarified.

"Very well, Sakura-hime, please follow me to your sleeping chambers," Kisame mocked regally, taking a deep bow towards her. She glared angrily as Itachi set her down. As she crouched to enter, Itachi leaned low to her ear.

"If you even think of escaping..." Sakura felt cool metal pressing against her neck. She gulped then nodded. Itachi drew the kunai back and nudged her inwards.

The tent was large enough to accommodate the three, but that didn't make it any less uncomfortable. In fact, the only way it could have been any weirder... 'they better keep their clothes on while they sleep.'

'**What? You're not curious to see what they look like under those shirts?'** Sakura sighed at her inner self. This was why she didn't miss it for those years. It had the habit of being incredibly immature. **'I heard that!'** it snapped.

Unfortunately, Sakura had also adopted her master's horrible luck. She groaned inwardly as Kisame discarded his shirt. Itachi soon followed suit, placing his in a neat, folded pile. Fortunately, they DID sleep in pants. Sakura just lay on her back, trying to ignore the shirtless men on either side of her.

Sakura lay there until she thought they were asleep, then she slowly peeled herself out of the sleeping bag. She crouched low and tried to grab the kunai pouch on the side of Kisame farthest from her. His breathing was slow and his chakra was inactive, so she made her move.

'I'll grab a kunai and kill them. That's it; they'll never again wake. Then I can make my way back to Konoha and be regarded as a hero,' Sakura thought, her heart thumping furiously.

She felt the rough leather in her palm and gave a quick tug. It pulled free with a quiet jangle. Kisame didn't wake, but instead gave a loud snort. Sakura took a deep breath and turned.

"Eyahhh!" she shrieked, toppling backwards onto Kisame, who's small, luminous eyes shot open.

"Wh-what the heck?!" he yelled, grabbing Sakura. Itachi was in front of her, sharingan activated and fists clenched.

"Itachi, did she try something?" Kisame asked, but then noticed the pouch in her hand, "ah, you were thinking of doing us in while we slept?"

Sakura shook her head furiously, "of course not!" Itachi raised an eyebrow.

"Kunoichi, you thought we would just leave you be while we slept?" Itachi's sharingan faded. He shook his head then slapped Sakura hard across the face. "If you ever try something like that again..." he warned.

Sakura felt a tear slide down her cheek, but she wiped it angrily, not wanting to show weakness. She raised a fist to Itachi, attempting a strike as he exited the tent. Kisame held her back, telling her to calm down.

"Kuniochi, Sakura... Don't give him a reason to kill you."

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Ha, I shall continue to be evil with short chapters! Does it leave you wanting more? Is the suspense killing you?! or do you just want me to get on with the lovey-dovey cheese? Wait, I know... you people want Deidara! Cuz I know I do :p 


	10. A Hybrid Shinobi

_Another chapter up, I'm sitting on my laptop writing this, I am so grateful for the internet connection. Thanks for the reviews, and yes, Deidara's coming, there will be fluff and also some action, betrayal and scheming! _

I don't own Naruto.

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Kisame held Sakura back lightly, not wanting her to do something she'd regret. Sakura just sat in the tent, staring intently at the opening. As soon as Itachi's hand pulled the cloth shut, Sakura turned to Kisame.

She had tears in her eyes and a look of pure anguish. 'She shouldn't be _this _upset over that... It's not like Itachi is a caring person or anything,' thought Kisame as she wiped her tears. 'She's acting like he was her best friend or something. Bah, I will never understand women.' He removed his hand from her shoulder and turned to gather his things when Sakura grabbed him around the waist and broke down sobbing.

Kisame leaned away and tensed up beneath her grip. He really didn't know what to do in situations like this. It wasn't as if there was a guide to comforting female hostages or anything. He did kind of pity her for how cruel Itachi was, but she shouldn't have gotten so emotional. "Sakura-san?" he whispered, trying to push her away gently, "It's not that big of a deal, Itachi just overreacts sometimes."

Kisame listened to what he was saying and almost gagged. He may be one of the most polite members of the Akatsuki, but he was definitely not the most caring, leave that to... well none of the Akatsuki were all that caring. That's what made them S-ranked criminals in the first place.

Sakura buried her face deeper into Kisame's shoulder, her tears running down his chest. Kisame just sighed and patted her head, muttering "there, there," in a rather monotonous voice. Finally, after two more minutes, Kisame had to ask, "Alright, what is wrong? Shinobi don't just have mental breakdowns because their captor is abusive, now spill it!"

Sakura just looked shocked at the outburst, she looked around as if lost before slowly coming back to her senses. She recoiled back, as she realized she had turned to an Akatsuki member for solace. "Wh-what?" she stuttered, wiping her tears.

"I said, what. Is. Wrong?" Kisame repeated slowly.

Sakura looked down shamefully. She couldn't use an excuse like 'oh nothing,' in a situation like this, but she wasn't so eager to relinquish the truth, either. Kisame raised his eyebrows expectantly. "Do I have to tell you?"

"Unless you want me to give you a pretty little scar, I suggest you do," Kisame threatened. Sakura sighed.

"Alright, but it's kind of a long story..."

"Then cut it short, I'm not that great of a listener."

"Fine, I'm not sad that Uchiha hit me, I'm angry at myself. I've trained beneath some of the greatest shinobi of our village, yet I couldn't defeat two measly ninja, no offense meant. I had a whole team on my side as well. My mistakes could have cost them their lives. All my life I've been nothing but a nuisance, this was my chance to shine, and I blew it. Now look at me, I'm in complete disregard for the shinobi rule; never reveal your emotions. I'm a sorry excuse for a ninja, as always."

'Wow, this girl really has a lot bottled up,' thought Kisame as he listened to her story. "You know, you can't be all _that _weak. You managed to beat me in the end, didn't you? Or are you considering that I'm not much of an opponent?" Kisame mocked, trying to lighten her mood.

Despite her being their captive, she had already grown on him. Maybe it was the way she annoyed Itachi to no end, or perhaps it was just her feminine presence among them. Either way, Kisame was glad she was the one they took.

Sakura sniffled, "perhaps you're right, I did beat you _and_ I managed my way out of Itachi's mangekyo sharingan," she eyed Kisame, "you know, it pains me to say this, but you really aren't that bad for a criminal."

Kisame laughed, showing his shark teeth, "I think you'll find that we aren't actually as cold as you'd expect, Itachi being the exception. After all... being a shinobi is just a job." Sakura considered this.

"That's true, but it grows to be more than that. It's a lifestyle. It requires loyalty, and dedication to your village."

Kisame argued this, "that's the difference between Konoha and the Akatsuki. We don't acknowledge those extreme ties, we do what we do because we let our wants and desires take over. Sure we do things that you would consider 'morally wrong,' but we love it."

"You were attracted to that feeling of lawlessness, weren't you?"

"Exactly," Kisame smirked at her, "you have those desires too, am I right?"

'**Of course, **_**someone**_** just suppresses them. Our life would be a little different if I was in charge.'** Sakura blushed and quieted her inner self, turning away from Kisame.

'If she actually ever gives in to those desires, she may actually fit in. She sure is strong enough.'

"I can't believe I'm talking to you like this... You're supposed to be my enemy. I may well have directly insulted the Hokage! On top of all that, we just met, AFTER YOU KNOCKED ME OUT!" Sakura fumed, tearing her way out of the tent.

Kisame blinked. 'Wow. I will never understand women,' Kisame thought tiredly.

Itachi had been pacing outside of the tent, waiting for the other two to get ready. He was angry with himself for the outburst, but still thought the kunoichi deserved it. She was their hostage, not their teammate. She had no authority to speak to him like that. Although, he did admire her bravery, most people when face-to-face with an Akatsuki, basically plead for their lives. This girl looked him straight in the eye and defied him.

As unlikely as it was, Itachi was actually starting to respect the kuniochi. Sakura... he'd heard that name before, but from where? He'd have to ask Kisame, he always remembered that kind of thing.

What was taking them so long? He could hear murmuring from inside. Was she actually talking to Kisame? That would mean she's betraying her village, possibly leaking secrets to the enemy. If Konoha's Hokage caught wind of this, she'd deploy the tracker nins immediately.

Itachi smirked at the thought of the kuniochi never being able to return, stuck as a criminal. Let's see her talk down to them then.

Itachi considered this possible outcome for a moment. It's not like she was a bad fighter or anything. For all he knew she could be quite useful to him. He'd have to inquire about her abilities before he drew any conclusions, but from what he saw, she was a rather experienced medical nin. When you pair her highly developed chakra control with that insane strength, you had the perfect shinobi hybrid.

Itachi smirked, 'It's too bad she's so loyal to her village...'

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_Awww... too bad. It's done, I know you all are tearing your hair out at that pathetic excuse for foreshadowing! sarcastic laugh_

_I'm actually enjoying writing this, and I will continue to as long as you REVIEW!!! Don't be shy, I love 'em! (psst... no flames!)_


	11. You've Always Been

_Here's another chapter, including cheese, fluff, and no particular conflict._

_I don't own Naruto._

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The group packed up their things and continued on their way back to the Akatsuki base, which was located in the Hidden Rain Village. Which unfortunately was rather hard to access, so the group had to take the roundabout way which, surprise, surprise… was through more forest. 

Sakura was currently walking beside the other two. They had finally come to an agreement. If Sakura even _looks_ back, Itachi and Kisame will kill her. Sakura had come to realize that Itachi was much faster than her and Kisame wouldn't have any trouble maiming her.

'I suppose I'll have to make my escape when these two aren't around,' Sakura thought blandly, bored out of her mind. '**You know… in this world there's more than one way to get what you want…'** Inner Sakura supplied suggestively. "ARE YOU CRAZY?! I HAVE MY MORALS!" Sakura shouted out loud.

Kisame and Itachi just exchanged looks. "Er… Sakura? Are you okay? Is all this walking getting to your head?" Kisame asked, speaking slowly.

Sakura glared at him, "I wasn't talking to you! Mind your own business!"

Kisame just stared incredulously at her, "…alright…"

Itachi looked to the skies and sighed. There were a couple storm clouds heading their way. They had about ten minutes before they hit the weather that the Hidden Rain village was famous for. He stole a sidelong glance at Sakura. All she had on was a short-sleeved shirt, no jacket. He did have an extra turtleneck in his pack, but wondered what conclusions she'd draw from that act of kindness if he was to lend it to her.

Sakura was still trying to get her Inner self to realize that seducing the two would never work, not in a million years. The pair walking on either side of her were so focused she wondered if they had to be reminded when to breathe.

"So…" Sakura drawled, trying to start some kind of conversation. Kisame just raised an eyebrow, and Itachi ignored it completely. She sighed. What kind of things do you talk about with a couple of cold-blooded murderers?

So they walked in silence for another couple of minutes. The air was growing humid and dark clouds were closing in. "Do you get this weather a lot in the Rain village?" Sakura asked, hoping to spark some form of speech from the other two.

Kisame was the one to answer, "Yeah, it can rain for days on end sometimes. You'll get used to it, though."

'Get used to it? They mean to keep me there?' Sakura thought. "So I'm going to be staying there for a while?"

Itachi spoke up at this, "kunoichi, you will stay there for as long as we decide to keep you alive. Kisame, try not to give too much away."

Kisame looked embarrassed at this, "yes Itachi, sorry about that. Just trying to make a conversation."

Itachi noticed that this would be the perfect time to ask the kunoichi about her skills. She was completely off her guard and would respond to anything. "So kun- Sakura-san, I've heard your name before. Do you know why that is?"

Sakura was startled by the question; Itachi had hardly spoken all day, now he wanted to get to know her? "Well… I did train under Hatake Kakashi and Tsunade-sama. You could say I've picked up a few tricks from them." Little bells started ringing in her head, urging her to stop talking, but she was so bored she couldn't care less.

"I work at the hospital most days. I'm one of the head nurses now," Sakura declared proudly. Itachi didn't respond, he just nodded.

"Oh, a medic. We need to get ourselves one of those. I'm tired of using bandages the old fashioned way," Kisame said, earning a glare from Itachi.

'Great, leave it to Kisame to ruin it all. Let's hope the kunoichi didn't hear that. At least now Kisame knows what I'm planning,' Itachi thought.

Sakura did hear it, and now she questioned her role in this kidnapping. Perhaps they weren't just taking her for ransom, or to lure Naruto. Perhaps they actually needed her.

They fell back into silence just as the rain hit them. It started off slow, but within seconds it escalated to a flooding torrent. The group trudged on, ignoring the sloshing of their shoes through the puddles. It only took Sakura a few seconds to become completely soaked.

As the cold set in, she started to shiver uncontrollably, and eventually began to sneeze. Fortunately for the Akatsuki, their cloaks were semi-waterproof and kept them warm. Itachi was debating whether to hand over his turtleneck, and finally gave in when she started to have trouble walking.

He told the group to take shelter beneath the trees for a moment while he searched through his pack. Kisame had allowed Sakura to huddle next to him for warmth, and even Itachi had to admit that made an odd sight. A soaked-to-the-bone, pink-haired shrimp pressed up against a tall, blue-skinned shark-man was not something you saw everyday.

After a few moments, Itachi withdrew the sweater. It was black and made of a poly-cotton material. It wouldn't completely repel the water, but she'd gain some warmth.

Itachi shook it out and threw it her way, and she just looked at his questioningly. Itachi just sighed impatiently, "Put it on, we don't have all day."

Sakura just nodded quickly and started to pull it over her outfit. "No, I wouldn't put it over your current clothing. That will just trap the water inside, preventing you from warming up," Itachi told her, "keep it against the skin." He opened his cloak to show her that he too wore the same attire underneath.

Sakura was too cold to argue his motives, or worry about the guys watching her change. She just turned around and took off her red top. Her hands were quivering and she was having some difficulty keeping her balance. When she bent down to grab the turtleneck, her knees gave out.

Kisame and Itachi had turned their backs to give her some privacy when they heard a dull thud. They spun around to see Sakura collapsed against a tree and struggling to get up.

Itachi was the first one at her side to help her up, letting her arm drape around his neck to regain some balance. All the while forcing his gaze away from her, since all she wore up top was a thin cotton crop-top.

"Kisame, fetch the shirt," Itachi ordered. Kisame handed the turtleneck to him and helped put it on Sakura. As Itachi was helping her with the clothing, he noticed how her ribs showed through her skin a little too much. 'And that would be why she can't handle the temperature. I should have noticed this long ago. If we had kept going, she'd be dead before we made it to the base.'

"Alright, we'll stay here until Sakura can stand again," Itachi declared, removing his straw hat and shaking his jet-black hair out. Kisame just smirked amusedly at him. "What is it?" Itachi snapped, glaring.

"Oh nothing, it's just… you called her Sakura, not kunoichi."

Itachi glanced down at the girl and smirked beneath his collar, _'I have never thought of her as kunoichi. She has always been Sakura.'_

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_Please review, and critique is welcome. No flames, etc. _


	12. Welcome To Akatsuki

_Yay! Slight fluff! I know the romance aspect of this story is slow going, but I guess it would be really cheesy if they suddenly shouted "I love you" for no particular reason. So enjoy the chapter. Guess what, it's the longest one yet!_

* * *

"Hey, are you good to go now?" Kisame asked, nudging Sakura's foot with his own. She yawned, then nodded. They had taken a ten minute break and Sakura's lips had just returned to their rightful color. The sky was still a dingy grey and the rain was still coming down. At least now it was tolerable.

Kisame helped Sakura to her feet, which earned him a glare from Itachi. Kisame rolled his eyes, 'what is his deal, anyways? Anytime I come near her I get this look, jeez.'

Once Sakura had gotten to her feet and shook the remaining water from her sandals, Itachi motioned for them to go. She flipped her hair out of her face and sauntered proudly between the other two.

'I may have shown weakness, but that will not happen again!' Sakura swore to herself. She clenched her fists and flexed her wrists, freeing them from cramps. She gave a tight smile to Itachi, trying to get him to notice how alert and focussed she was.

He stole a glance at her as her hair flew gracefully over her shoulder. It took all his strength not to gape at her. As the sunlight broke through the dark clouds, it caught the water droplets that lay nestled in her pink locks so brilliantly. Each strand of her hair shone like a rainbow, magnifying her beauty.

He shook his head of these thoughts. 'I do not waste my time with women. I DO NOT waste my time with... with.' he looked over at Sakura once again, ' with... women.' He rubbed his eyes and ran his hand through his hair, exhaling deeply.

Kisame did not worry about the gaping thing. He just stared like no tomorrow. When Sakura turned and gave him a funny look, he just smiled his vicious smile and rubbed the back of his head.

'**There you go, next to you are two men completely smitten with you, did I prove my point?' **Inner Sakura chided, chuckling. 'I have no idea what you're talking about. Kisame is just... proud of my recovery and Itachi... Itachi...' she pursed her lips, gazing at the Uchiha, 'no, he's not the kind of person to bother themselves with romance. And frankly, neither am I.'

Itachi saw her look back at him, an odd look in her eyes. He stared into her eyes. He was never one to back down. Sakura kept the contact for several moments, before throwing her gaze down, a slight blush creeping across her cheeks.

Itachi smirked. It had been a long time since he had girls look at him like that. He savored her embarrassment before quickening his pace to catch up with her.

"So, just over this hill is a cave that will take us in, it travels underground for a while, then will resurface about eight hundred meters north of the base," Kisame explained, pointing to the distance. Sakura nodded, smiling along with him.

'I'm supposed to be a captive, yet over these last two days, I feel more like family,' Sakura thought. '**I'm telling you, it's because you're a girl. They're not used to that.' '**Perhaps... but even Itachi seems to tolerate me.' '**You have always been a people person. You don't have any enemies.'**

They neared the cave, which was covered with a large boulder with a large seal on it. Itachi focussed his chakra and muttered something under his breath and the boulder slowly rose from it's position.

Sakura just gaped at the enormous power contained in one seal. Kisame noticed her disbelief and chuckled, "it's not just one seal. There's four others to help out.'

Sakura nodded, beginning to comprehend. When she looked up, Itachi was already at the other end of the boulder, arms crossed, trying to look impatient. Too bad the smirk on his face gave his amusement away. He gestured for them to hurry with a sweep of his arm.

Kisame pushed Sakura through the dark hall until they came to a long set of dirt stairs. There were numerous unlit torches winding down along the walls.

Itachi's hands were a blur as he made the necessary handsigns for his fire jutsu. He took a deep breath and shot a small ball of fire weaving down. Sakura just marveled at the precision and control he had over his techniques.

They hurried down the steps, there were over two hundred in total, and came to an open room with stone walls. There was a short pedestal erected in the center.

Both Itachi and Kisame bowed before the pedestal, motioning for Sakura to do the same. Within seconds, a flickering image could be seen appearing.

'What amazing technology, it's like nothing I've ever seen!' She thought, still bowed. The image solidified and spoke.

"Who have you brought to our domain? Do you know the penalties of this, Kisame and Itachi?" It bellowed.

Itachi rose and spoke his case, "I have reason to believe this kunoichi can be useful, Leader."

"We have no room for new members, you know that. You should have been searching for your jinchuuriki rather than scoping out women. Kill her then report back!" The image began to fade.

"Wait!" Sakura yelled, knowing that if she didn't make a case now she'd be dead within minutes, "I can be useful! I'm an experienced medic-nin who has trained under both Hatake Kakashi and Godaime Tsunade!"

The image re-solidified, and Leader motioned for Sakura to step forward. "Haruno Sakura, is it? You seem quite sure of yourself. Fine. Itachi, Kisame, bring her to the base, there I will conduct a test to see if she is in fact... _useful_."

Sakura let out a sigh of relief, she was safe for at least another day. But not without a cost. Now their leader knew of her skills... and most importantly, her name. It seemed that he knew about her by his instant recognition, but why would the Akatsuki care about a Konoha medic?

"Pretty smooth talking there, you got lucky," Kisame said, then turned to Itachi, "I guess now she's going to be a little more than a sparring partner, eh?"

"Hn. Unlike you, Kisame, I discovered her identity ages ago. She will be much more useful than a sparring partner."

Sakura cleared her throat, not enjoying the fact that she was being treated like an object. She studied the walls, 'there is no chance of escape here. I will just have to wait until after I meet the rest of the Akatsuki.' **'You know what we should do, befriend them, earn their trust, then bolt! Then they wouldn't expect it. We would be home before they even knew what hit them!' **'True, but what if Tsunade catches wind that I'm helping them in any way? She'd send tracker-nins after me!' **'No way, Tsunade loves you like a daughter! She would never, ever do that.'**

"Kunoichi, would you please stop having conversations with yourself? There is something important I must discuss with you," Itachi said tiredly, "We- I did not take you simply because I needed someone to better my jutsus against. You have been in our books for quite some time. You are listed as one of the best medics in all the five countries." Sakura gaped at that.

"After we caught the jinchuuriki, we were supposed to go and find you. Fortunately for us, you played right into my hands."

"And why on earth should I help you!? You are criminals!"

"Sakura-san... how often have you thought of escape?" Kisame asked slowly.

"I... I have... th-thought about it, a bit."

"Tell us, do you want to escape? Give up your strict, boring life and come join a new one, with Akatsuki," Kisame offered her. Sakura looked from Itachi to Kisame and back again. They were waiting for her answer.

'**There, join them. It is the only way for an escape to be made. You know this, but they don't. They still think you're a vulnerable little girl, prove them wrong.'**

Sakura forced tears into her eyes. She had to make it seem difficult for her to choose. She raised her head high and smiled, "You're right. I am tired of rules. Yes, I will join."

'It will also be the perfect way to get back at _him _for the way he treated me.' Sakura thought wickedly.

Kisame patted her on the back and off they went.

* * *

_So... everyone like the randomness of it all? There's going to be some serious angsty-ness later on. A whole lot of confessions and some serious fluff, so enjoy! Oh yes, review!_


	13. Splitting the Plot

_Yay! Give me a pat on the back, I actually wrote a chapter! School's on now, so don't hold your breath everyday, like you used to. (I still can't believe I managed to update daily) I'll probably have a chapter up every couple days. _

_I don't own Naruto._

* * *

The Akatsuki leader, Pein turned to his partner. She was fair skinned, with beautiful blue hair. She adjusted the flower that decorated her head and sighed. "This complicates things, doesn't it?" she whispered.

Pein nodded, "they were _supposed_ to catch the jinchuuriki first. Now we have it's teammate to worry about." Why couldn't they just follow orders?

It's a known fact that shinobi will be more obedient once they have nothing left to live for. Haruno Sakura had been on the Akatsuki 'waiting' list for quite some time. She had progressed to become a superb medic, with super strength to boot. The fact that the jinchuuriki was her teammate helped things along considerably.

Once the jinchuuriki was dead and his beast extracted, Sakura would have lost all reason to remain loyal to her village. Her parents had been exterminated a year prior, courtesy of Sasori (although, the autopsy showed that smoke inhalation was the cause of death). So according to their records, the Kyuubi's container was one of her last remaining ties to Konoha. For her to become an Akatsuki, she must sever all previous relationships.

That was what all the members went through, loss. It was what drove them to kill, to destroy. Each on of them has a story of pain and sorrow, but who would think that these criminals had a conscience? To others, the Akatsuki were horrible, psychopaths who killed just for kicks. How wrong they were.

"Do you think she's serious about joining us, Pein?" the woman asked.

"That's what we need to test, her loyalties."

"It's too bad Orochimaru still has his ring... that would make her one of us officially," she said, rotating her ring, that was on her thumb.

Pein nodded, then ran his hand down his partners slender fingers, "come now, we have a mission to complete."

Itachi was studying Sakura closely. For the few days he'd known her, she seemed so strong and determined not to be treated like a little girl. Now she had withdrawn into herself and held her arms tightly around her waist. He could tell she questioned if her decision to cooperate was the right one.

She looked so vulnerable like this, tears were prickling in the corners of her eyes and her lips were parted slightly in a half pout. Her hair just hung in front of her face, like a curtain, shielding the pain she felt.

Itachi just marveled over the power she had over him. He had never felt this way about someone before, she made his heart race and hands shake. Every time she looked his way, he couldn't help but smile beneath his collar and feel his neck heat up. For the last couple days, he'd been trying to see if she felt the same way. It was unlikely, but perhaps it could happen. Itachi caught another peek at her, and made up his mind. 'I _will _find a way to make her mine, even if it kills me.'

Sakura was worse than she had ever felt. Even though she joined Akatsuki so that she could eventually find freedom, she wasn't sure that was the only reason for her betrayal of Konoha. For the last two and half years, she had two of her teammates abandon her, not to mention her sensei, who basically quit. Why should she feel attached to that?

Then there was Sasuke... she had offered him everything, and he spit it back in her face. Simply because he was an 'avenger.'

He gave up a regular childhood so he could become strong enough to destroy his brother. Sakura glanced up at Itachi, to see him watching her. She adverted her gaze, blushing. 'That's the man Sasuke's after. He's the coldhearted bastard that killed his entire clan. How can I even stand to be around him?'

Sakura probed her mind, trying to find a true strand of hatred for the Uchiha. She wanted to hate him, to bury him six feet under, but... her heart wouldn't allow it.

She shouldn't feel her cheeks heat up when he brushed against her.

She shouldn't always be glancing over her shoulder, just to catch a glimpse of his midnight black hair.

She shouldn't, but she did.

Sakura's lips started to quiver, she began mouthing something. Itachi watched, for her could read them with his sharingan.

"A shinobi never reveals their emotions... A shinobi never, ever reveals their emotions..."

Itachi sighed, that's all she ever focussed on, proving she wasn't weak. She would never relax long enough for him to get close.

'I will not show my emotions...' Sakura thought. She wasn't worried about showing weakness, she was worried about showing her affection. If she just fell into Itachi's arms, she would lose everything. Konoha was where she truly belonged. She would definitely find a way to escape. 'Even if it brakes my heart...'

The group had walked silently, each engrossed in their own thoughts. Kisame saw how the other two would look at each other discreetly, completely oblivious to the shark's watchful eyes. 'Something's got to be about this.' he thought. Kisame would not allow Itachi to find himself someone to love, not when he had his torn away from him.

Kisame thought briefly about the one he loved... remembering his loss and pain. He would stop Itachi's happiness, no matter what.

* * *

_I know, I know... short. But, to the trained eye, you will note that this chapter really set the story up for a serious problem... very serious. So basically what I'm trying to say is that this is a filler. Just a scribble of text designed to make you speculate over things that will probably not happen. But I suppose that's one of the many reasons I love Naruto, the conspiracy theories..._

_Please review, actually please give me some criticism. I need to get better at this writing, so that the sequel will be better... wait, scratch that! I don't know what you mean by sequel. YOU READ NOTHING!  
_


	14. Art, un

_Wow, I kinda got carried away with this! A whopping 1400 words! (Audience completely silent) hehe... well then. Let's get on with this. So this chapter is just another little set up, for some serious angst. Also I'm thinking of changing this from adventure to tragedy... can you guess why? Well read on, and don't go telling anyone I own Naruto, cuz I don't!  
_

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They arrived at the Akatsuki headquarters later that day. It was located in a cave similar to the one they met Leader in earlier. Itachi lifted the seal and lead Sakura in slowly. Kisame followed behind, replacing the seal.

There was a short hallway, and at the end a large double door stood, set into the stone. Sakura paused for a moment, studying the walls. It appeared that the cave walls had been smoothed down. Itachi waited for her at the end of the hall. She turned back to him, and gave a tight smile. A smile that he returned.

'**Did he just smile? That was actually kind of creepy...'** Inner Sakura said. Sakura had to agree it was rather unlike Itachi to show emotion. She wondered what he was thinking about...

Itachi's smile faded, 'that was odd... I haven't smiled to anyone in years...'

He focussed on the task ahead, introducing Sakura. He doubted Leader would be there to explain, so he would have to make the others believe she was worthy. He looked over at Sakura, who was approaching. She looked tired and sad... almost weak.

Sakura saw Itachi step up to her. He was close... too close. She inhaled sharply, her mind reeling. 'Is he doing what I think he's doing? He can't be thinking about _that!_ Not now... I mean, not ever!' She was considering pushing him away, but found herself paralyzed.

Itachi was less than arm's length away now, he was leaning down. Sakura held her breath and... She shut her eyes, expecting the unlikely. She held them shut for two, five, ten seconds, then...

Itachi picked a leaf out of her hair and rubbed a smudge of dirt off her face. She had to look presentable for his comrades, or else they'd tear her apart.

Sakura blinked. 'He was just... fixing my hair? What the hell?!' She felt her cheeks get warm with embarrassment. She laughed, trying to ignore the fact that she thought he was going to kiss her. She pushed past Itachi, wrenching open the doors.

Itachi smirked, 'she expected more. Perhaps she does have feelings after all.' He followed after her.

"Who the hell are you, un?! A voice shouted from inside. Itachi sighed, it was Deidara, so impatient.

"Deidara! Would you kindly shut-up? We have some things to explain," Kisame yelled closing the door firmly behind him.

A figure approached from the shadows, "it seems you do, why have you brought Haruno Sakura to our lair?"

Sakura furrowed her brows, "how do you know my name?"

The person smirked, "I know a lot of things, Sakura-san." Kisame just growled.

"Sasori, please stop scaring our guest."

"Gladly, let me fetch the others, I'm sure there's a reason for all this," with this Sasori left the room, walking down a narrow hall.

"This is the common room, we have a television and a couch, but not much else. If you look to the right, through that arch is the kitchen, and down where Sasori went are the bedrooms. There are ten of them," Kisame explained as others entered.

"Who's this?"

"Yes, who is it?"

Itachi just scowled, Zetsu's split personalities always bugged him. It was unnatural, so was the fact he was basically a plant.

A few more members filed in, sitting on the couch or leaning against walls.

Itachi took a deep breath and began, "Everyone, this is Haruno Sakura, a kunoichi from Konoha. She will be staying here, as an unofficial member," that made a few members gasp or re-evaluate her, "she is a medic-nin and an experienced fighter. Do not take her to be weak, for she could probably defeat most of you."

Sakura waited for Itachi to continue, but then realized that he was finished. She shuffled her feet nervously and smiled at the members. 'These guys are S-ranked criminals... but they seem so friendly...' She retched at the thought. 'No, I should hate them... should hate!'

Her mind was against her. She wanted to hate them, but the only ones she could think to hate were her friends back home. They abandoned her... left her alone. Even after her parents died, no one came... Naruto was off with Jiraiya, and Sasuke... left. She wanted to get away from all that, from the pain of those memories.

For weeks after Naruto left, she kept expecting... no hoping that he'd show up on the horizon, asking her to come with him. To stay as his teammate, but he never came. No one did.

She kept a smile plastered on her face for a few more moments before realizing how stupid she probably looked. Everyone just shrugged and went off on their way, so soon Sakura was alone.

Deidara stood from the couch and was going to return to his room when he saw Sakura still just standing there. He put his hands in his pockets awkwardly. "Hey... do you want me to show you to a room, un?"

Sakura looked relieved at the man... teenager... she studied him closer, he actually only looked around eighteen or nineteen.

"So do you, un?" She snapped out of her thoughts, and smiled.

"Yah, that would be great, thank you..." she trailed on, not remember his name.

"Oh, it's Deidara, un."

"Yes, Deidara. Thanks." She followed him down the hall.

He led her past the first nine rooms, then stopped at the tenth. "This is your room then, un." He showed her in, then stood awkwardly. "I guess I'll just go then..." He turned slowly.

"Wait, Deidara. You don't have to... we could talk a little... that is if you're not busy," Sakura said hurriedly, she didn't want to be left alone.

Deidara shrugged, "sure, what do ya wanna talk about, un?"

Sakura just looked around the room, noting the small futon propped up against the wall. "Are we allowed to change our rooms at all?"

"Nope, we need to keep them clean. That's just in case we need to bolt one day, un," he explained. Sakura frowned. "Ya, I know it sucks. I've argued that we should at least be able to put some art up or something, un."

"You like art?"

Deidara smiled widely, "Art's a blast, un."

Sakura laughed at his comment, and loosened up a bit. Then he asked, "so how'd a Konoha shinobi wind up here, un?"

Sakura stiffened, "well, I was on a mission to stop the two intruders that murdered our ANBU patrol squad and... I... was sent to investigate."

"And it was Kisame and Itachi..." Deidara added.

"Yes, and we were losing bad, then I defeated Kisame and all that was left was to beat Itachi. Unfortunately I was caught in his genjutsu and used up all my chakra to break out."

"Wait, you _broke out_ of Itachi's genjutsu?!" Deidara asked, shocked.

"Ya... it wasn't all that hard, but it did leave me defenseless and near unconsciousness..." She didn't want to tell Deidara about her inner self. It would probably freak him out.

Deidara stared in awe, "you know what? You have just earned yourself a place in my good books. So now, you get to see my art collection, un!" Sakura just laughed and nodded.

Deidara ran/skipped down the hall to the fourth room. He threw open the door and stood aside for Sakura to survey his collection.

Sakura reached the room and looked in. What she saw amazed her. "Did you make all these?!"

Deidara beamed with pride, "yup, that's what these hands are made for, ART, UN!" Then he ran into his room, dragging Sakura with him. "This is what I've been working on."

Sakura looked down at the stone bench and saw a beautiful, half-made swan. Every feather was artfully carved out of clay, its slender neck curved gracefully backwards.

Deidara stepped before the swan, and extended his arms and placing his hands on the unfinished body. As his hands glided over the clay, small feathers began to be etched out.

"How are you doing that?" Sakura asked, dumbfounded.

Deidara looked down sheepishly, then held his hand out to Sakura. On each of his hands were mouths that smiled and stuck their tongues out at her.

"Is this a kekkai genkai of sorts?"

"Well ya, they're pretty horrible, aren't they, un?"

Sakura shook her head, "not at all, they're amazing. I've never seen anything like it. What I wouldn't give to be able to study their structure and chakra links!" Deidara raised an eyebrow. "Oh, sorry! I just get a little carried away..."

"No, that's okay. It's kinda nice for someone to take an interest in me..." Deidara looked down sadly.

Sakura touched his arm, "how'd you end up like this? I mean... a criminal?"

* * *

_I'm pretty sure that chapter didn't make you feel sad, happy, excited or anything, but I sure hope it filled you with a need... a need to REVIEW! yay! Let's see who reviewed today... blah blah... ooh, yay, praise! Wait... what is this!? A flame... grr. (Grabs computer, flings it out of the window...) Haha, just kidding. I've never gotten a flame for this... yet. But if I do, that's what happens! _

_Remember, flames are different than criticism. And I don't anger THAT easily. I do need some feedback however, so please press that review button! XD  
_


	15. Mixed Signals

_Hiya, I'm going away for the weekend, so don't wait up for me, 'kay? This chapter is mostly an explanation/flash-yback thingy so ya..._

* * *

Deidara studied her, debating telling her his story. He had only known her for an hour, yet they connected so well. He looked into her vibrant green eyes, boy they were beautiful...

"Fine, un. But it's not short, and I have to start at the beginning."

"That's fine."

"Okay... Well as you can see I'm from Iwagakure, you know, village hidden among the rocks. I was orphaned at a young age and lived with some distant relatives for most of my life, un.

They never did treat me right, un. I was the one who had to clean and cook and run errands... No one ever was kind to me back then, un.

Eventually I had enough of the abuse. So I went to see the Tsuchikage. After long hours of begging, he threw me a bone, un. I was allowed to become a ninja, and have my own apartment... man was I happy, un! Now I figure it was because of my mouths that he permitted it.

So I got myself a job to help pay for the tuition, even though the Tsuchikage said it wasn't necessary, I did anyways. I trained from dawn until three, then worked from three until... nine, I think it was.

Anyways, I progressed quickly and made genin easily, but I still didn't know about the explosive jutsu I was capable of."

"So... you mean that those explode?" Sakura asked.

"Yea, that's what makes art such a blast, un! So it was during one of our breaks in training when my sensei noticed me messing around with some clay I'd found, un. I told him that's what I loved, sculpting, and the next day he took me to see Tsuchikage-sama.

Sensei got permission to teach me the explosive jutsus that I now use. He was never all that apt at them, so I was basically just given scrolls to study. How I mastered those, un!

Sensei was so proud that he let my team and I enter the chuunin exams, which we passed with flying colors, I might add, un. Although, it was during those exams, that I first met Itachi.

He came to me, he was only fourteen at the time, and said there was a way out. You see, I was getting bored with all of the old material on my jutsu, so I became a stereotypical angst-y teenager. I was... twelve at the time.

So I asked him what he meant and he told me his group could help develop my jutsus, and that the morons here were just trying to hold me back, because I had potential, un.

Wow, did that fire me up, un! Since I was always alone, I tried my best to get people to notice me, but it never payed off. So I agreed to join him, even if it meant leaving my village.

Itachi told me that I had to pass a test first, a test of faithfulness. I had no idea what he meant, but he told me. I had to kill the person closest to me. I asked him why and he said it was to test my limits. It's all about the limits, Sakura, remember that, un.

I was scared and confused, being only twelve I didn't have a strong sense of morality or anything. I figured that when I sent the clay bird to the Tsuchikage, he'd recognize it as a threat immediately... he didn't.

When I heard the explosion I ran. I couldn't believe what I'd done. The Tsuchikage was the only person that had ever respected me, or shown sympathy towards me. I killed him, un.

You see, I was the only shinobi in our village with that jutsu, so everyone knew it was me. I ran on and on, not stopping for days. Finally I collapsed, exhausted, un.

I found a nice cave and settled in. I didn't feel all that bad about what I'd done, because I thought that the boy with the red eyes would come for me any day. Then I'd have a place in the world again, un.

He never came. Well at least not for a while. Eventually I got tired of waiting, so I left for food and money. I was a criminal, so I became a terrorist for hire." Deidara gave a shaky smile, then continued.

"Years went by, all uneventful... and I became increasingly depressed and fed up. So I gave up, un."

"You don't mean..."

"Yeah... I tried to kill myself, so what? I was angry and useless, killing thousands just for a bit of cash. I hated myself. So I returned to that cave where it all started and lay there. I was intending on staying there until I died, un.

After three days of nothing, no food or drink, I began to die. I knew I wouldn't last more than another day at the most. I had accepted my death and was actually somewhat happy, un.

Unfortunately, fortunately... whichever, Itachi intervened. Him and Kisame came to me, telling me I could join them and that I was a hard man to find. I was... fourteen or fifteen... I don't know.

Well I wanted to die, Itachi had ruined my life, made me into a monster. So I told him to leave me alone, and let me die, un.

Of course, he was ordered to bring me back, so I challenged him. If I won, he'd let me be, and if he one, I'd go. It was a foolish bet, I was so weak I could hardly stand, but I had to try.

Itachi didn't even have to activate his sharingan to beat me, because I had no clay, no strength and no will. So evidently, he won... and I lost an eye. Then I was brought here."

Sakura was just gazing into his pained and broken eye. She could see tears welling up, but he suppressed them, giving her a fake smile. He looked so... perfect...

Deidara eyes widened as he watched her place her lips on his, and wrapping her arms around his neck. He was further shocked to find himself kissing her back. She pulled back, a look of horror on her face.

"What was that for, un?" He asked, smirking.

"I-I'm sorry, I just..." Sakura stuttered, then ran out of the room. Her head was spinning. One moment she was thinking about Itachi and his horribly tantalizing sadistic nature, then the next she was locking lips with Deidara.

It was just so wrong, she was falling apart.

* * *

_Duh duh duh!!! Ooh... cliffy... don't worry, this is not a DeiSaku fic, relax.. breath in and out... all good and loose now? 'Kay, good._

_So please don't kill me for what you read. So ya... Also, I don't have any idea what actually happened to Dei, so just remember this is a fanfic, and don't flame. _

_Thanks to all those who had suggestions, I thought they were all awesome and unique. Who knows, one or two might actually show up ;)_

_Now we have the issue of plot. DO NOT WORRY, there is actually a point to the story, I'm not just throwing Sakura at every obstacle my mind can come up with... or am I?_


	16. First Encounter

_Ha, sorry for the wait. I've been busy with school, volleyball, evil plots... _

_Here we have a longer chappie, mostly based on a flashback. Some fluff involved, not a lot. Also I'm reminding you that this story WILL NOT have a happy ending, so for those who don't like that sort of thing, you may exit to the left. _

_So ya, review and enjoy!_

* * *

Itachi just stood dumbstruck as he watched Sakura kiss Deidara, then come running out of the room smack into him. Sakura was his, not Deidara's. How dare he try to take her from him? Deidara could have any other woman, but Sakura was the one he wanted. She was his cherry blossom, his spunky kunoichi who he thought of non-stop. Deidara just pissed of the wrong Uchiha.

"I-Itachi... I'm s-sorry..." she mumbled up at him. Itachi studied her face, and saw confusion. She was the one who kissed Deidara, not the other way around, what was there to be confused about? Unless...

"Did you mean it, Sakura. When you kissed him, did you mean it?" Itachi asked coldly.

Sakura let out a silent sob, "I just don't know anymore... It's all falling apart... everything." She let a single tear slide down her cheek.

Itachi tipped her chin up. There was no denying how she felt for him, it just took this long for him to notice. He looked into her eyes and for the first time realized how young she really was.

"Sakura... how old are you?" Itachi asked, eyes emotionless.

"I-I'm fifteen... and you are?"

"Twenty, this month."

"Really? I wouldn't have guessed... you look older..."

Itachi smirked, "well you look much younger."

Deidara walked slowly out of his room, to see Sakura standing near Itachi, his hand on her cheek.

"Sakura?! What's going on now? You can't be with him, un! Just then, we... we..." Deidara stuttered, then pushed his way past, stomping loudly. As he turned the hall he muttered under his breath, "Itachi... won't keep another precious person from me. Not again."

Sakura pushed off of Itachi, contemplating running after Deidara. She stopped herself, then turned and ran down the hall into her room. She flung herself down onto her bed, burying her face in the hard pillow.

'I'm pathetic, it's like I'm a pubescent preteen again! Chasing after any guy who'll talk to me, it's just stupid!' '**You're too hard on yourself. Who could blame you? They are two of the most gorgeous guys we've ever laid eyes on! Could I borrow you're consciousness for a little while? An hour, two tops?' **'Are you kidding me? You'd get me killed. Keep your obsessions to yourself. You aren't helping the situation. I should be trying to get back to Konoha, not making out with the enemy!'

"I WANT TO GO HOME!" Sakura shouted into her pillow. She felt the first pangs of homesickness. She missed Naruto, and the way he'd go bright red when asking her to go to lunch with him. She missed Lee, who had vowed to protect her forever at least twelve times. She also missed Kakashi, who had finally shown her some recognition. All in all, she missed Konoha, her home.

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Itachi was listening at the door. He could hear her muttering to herself and screaming into her pillow. He cursed himself inwardly for not stopping her from meeting with Deidara. Deidara was so immature that having a woman in the base would surely make him go nuts.

Sakura wanted out, but knew she was stuck there now. Itachi had gotten Deidara to send a clay bird to Konoha's Hokage earlier that day. (Telepathy between members made the transaction quite convenient.) The bird carried a note, informing them of Sakura's betrayal and her joining the organization. It should be arriving there any minute.

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Tsunade was brooding over her paperwork. Sakura had been gone for three days and she feared the worst. She had sent numerous ANBU teams to search, but with no avail. There was nothing left to do but continue the search and hope for the best.

Suddenly there was a sharp tapping at the window. Tsunade peered around, and spotted the bird. She instantly recognized it as an Akatsuki messenger. She broke through the window, and snatched the bird.

Snapping off it's leg and destroying the body, she opened the note.

_Your former ninja, Haruno Sakura, has been inducted into the Akatsuki. It was of her own accord, not by force. She has left your village and joined the ranks of S-ranked criminals. Do not search for her, it will only result in casualties._

Tsunade re-read the note several times, to make sure she understood. How could her apprentice do this? There was always a chance the note was a fake, but it was unlikely. The Akatsuki were not ones to lie about that sort of thing. But why would they want Sakura? They had only seen her twice ever. Once in the forest when she was taken, and another on a escort mission.

They hadn't fought, they retreated before any real damage had occurred. Sakura had told her that it was Deidara and Sasori that crossed their path, but vanished as Sakura tried to immobilize the pair. That sort of incident shouldn't have put her in their books, unless there was more to the story...

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Itachi thought over what he had written in the note. Did he give away anything? It did imply that Sakura had been in their radar for quite some time, but that was no big issue. He thought back, how time flew since that first, brief encounter...

_Flashback_

_Itachi and Kisame were out on an assassination mission. It was an easy one, just some merchant who had pissed off the wrong people. They were scheduled to be done by the next day, so they took it slow. _

_They were passing through the outskirts of the land of Grass, on their way to the land of the Waterfall. It was a cool fall evening and so far the pair was fortunate enough not to pass any travelers. _

_They had been walking silently for a few hours when a figure appeared in the distance. With his sharingan, Itachi could see that she was a leaf shinobi, a chuunin by the looks of it. She had stunning pink hair and breathtaking emerald green eyes. He was struck by her elegant beauty, just how she swayed her hips ever so slightly and flipped her hair out of her eyes. Of course, his face never showed his true emotions. _

_Itachi glanced over at Kisame, who hadn't noticed the kunoichi yet. If Kisame saw her, he'd slice her without a second thought. Itachi was never one for unnecessary fighting, so he formulated a plan._

_With a quick blur of his hands, Itachi made the necessary hand signs for his genjutsu. He then reached out his index finger towards his partner. For then on, all Kisame remembered of that mission was the extermination of their target. Itachi just told him he had gotten drunk again._

_While Kisame was stuck in the genjutsu, Itachi mad a move to met the girl who had seized his interest. It took her another thirty seconds before she noticed the pair, then another thirty to recognize their outfits. _

_When she saw that they were Akatsuki, she tried to run, thinking they hadn't noticed her yet. She was still inexperienced, and hadn't yet reached her full potential in regards to her speed, whereas Itachi had. It took him less than ten seconds to cut the kunoichi off and immobilize her. _

_She just glared at him with a mix of anger and fear in her eyes. Apparently she had heard of them, or else she wouldn't have taken such precaution to avoid them. _

_Itachi simply stood before, scanning her from top to bottom. She was young, perhaps only fourteen years old. That was a little young for his usual tastes. He had just turned nineteen on June 9th. _

_Women didn't usually interest the Uchiha, the prospect of romance was too troublesome for him to bother with, but once and a while, his teenage hormones got in the way of things and took over. This was one of those times._

_The girl was still struggling to free herself from the genjutsu, but to no avail. She was simply too weak to break free of the minor illusions Itachi had set up, or so he thought._

_Less than a minute later, the kunoichi snapped out of the trance and landed a powerful, extraordinary blow to Itachi's face. He blocked it roughly, and brought his attention back to his ensnared captive. She had broken free of the genjutsu. That was an incredibly difficult task for one so young. _

_Itachi considered her value as she attempted to strike him. Being much more advanced than her, he dodged the attacks without much difficulty. She seemed quite an exceptional shinobi for her age. A genius perhaps... _

_Itachi figured she would be worth researching. If she proved valuable... he could have her... A smirk crossed Itachi's thin lips as he thought of the future. It had been a while since he'd been with a woman, he deserved a little something for his service in the Akatsuki. Perhaps Leader would approve..._

_The sadistic Uchiha figured he had toyed around enough, so without a second thought he cast another genjutsu on the girl, replacing her encounter with him with a much simpler thought. From then on, the kunoichi would only recall a brief sighting of two very different Akatsuki members, Sasori and Deidara. _

_Itachi released the genjutsu on Kisame and off they went, leaving behind the confused pink haired kunoichi in their dust. _

_End Flashback_

'Ah,' thought Itachi, 'how she had changed since then... she had grown to become a woman, not the scrawny girl she used to be, but her beauty followed her.' Back then, Itachi had promised himself that she would be his one day, and he wasn't about to turn on that now.

As he conveniently turned out, the woman he longed for lay in her room, not ten feet from where he stood. He had in fact, won her over using his discreet methods and his knowledge of human thought processes. His only problem now was to stop Deidara from ruining all of it with the prospect of 'real' love. It was unlikely for the level-headed Sakura to fall for the ignorant, arrogant and impulsive blonde, but it was possible.

Sakura had been partnered with the Kyuubi, who was also blonde. As far as he knew, the jinchuuriki was loud, obnoxious, arrogant... just like Deidara. She didn't love the Kyuubi, did she? That would be inconceivable... Partners always brought you down. That should be reason enough for her to hate him.

Hopefully, Deidara's boisterous attitude will remind her of her former annoying partner, passing the hate on...

Itachi brooded in his thoughts for a moment longer, before noticing that Sakura's sobbing had ceased. A moment later, she burst out of her room, completely ignoring Itachi, and rushing out to the common room. Itachi followed, partly to see if she was okay and partly to make sure Deidara stayed well away.

* * *

_So, how was it?? You enjoy my little blip of __internet existence? I hope so, or else why would you be reading this? Unless you're just looking for two completely unrelated characters to meet three times then make out in the rain? If that's what your looking for, stay tuned! We've got plenty of unrealistic romance coming right up!_

_Ah, I miss this free time to just sit and write... such bliss... _

_How 'bout I make you all a deal? You review and tell me how to improve, and I continue writing! _

_Also, thanks to all those who are now reading my Hopes and Dreams story. I was totally going to give up on it, due to a nasty, dream-crushing, spirit-eating flame I received not to long ago, but now I think I may continue. Trust me, it may be about some totally random character that would most likely be in two episodes then be viciously killed off in the filler arcs, but it's good... I think. A bit of humor mixed with some horror, I enjoyed writing it._


	17. Marriage or Funeral, Your Choice

_Hello, another chapter for your consumption! I do need to ask a favor of all you, could you tell me if I'm improving, getting worse, or anything like that? Because I need to know what I need to improve in my writing, or else it won't ever get better. _

_I tried to clarify a couple of things in this chapter, such as my little mistake with all the Akatsuki all being in the same place. (opps) so I hope this makes it a little more believable. _

* * *

Itachi smirked as Sakura pushed past, he loved it when she was angry. It just added to his lust for her. He followed her silently to the common room. As he turned the corner, she was sitting at the end of the large wooden table, designated for meetings. Not that they happened all that recently.

This was the first time the Akatsuki had all been told to remain at the base. Usually, they were only sent there to receive a mission, or if they were hurt. It seemed odd that they were all there at the same time. It obviously wasn't a coincidence, but what could be the purpose?

Unless Leader was really certain that Sakura could be a valuable addition to the group, Itachi didn't really know why they all needed to be there. All he knew was that there was a reason they didn't see each other much. He detested them.

He walked behind Sakura and decided that now would be as good of time as any to finally find out what she thought of him.

He placed his hands on her shoulders and leaned in close to her ear. "Sakura... tell me, do you care for me? I know we've only known each other for four days now, but I suppose we don't choose who to love, right? Do you want me?"

Sakura sat silently, staring ahead. She was breathing heavily, teeth clenched.

"Sakura, I don't like to be kept waiting," Itachi whispered, his tone growing dangerous.

Sakura just sat there, immersed in her thoughts and confusion. Itachi glanced over his shoulder, hoping, praying that no one saw how he was being ignored.

"Listen here, _kunoichi,_ you are alive because of me. Aren't you grateful in any way?" Itachi spat, gripping the back of her neck. Sakura just winced from the pressure and cracked her neck.

"Itachi-san, I have acted immature these last few days, rejecting my role as a shinobi. I plan to change that, therefore I cannot be in a relationship, of any kind."

Itachi grew furious at this, 'Now she chooses to act like a ninja, just as soon as I was ready to have her!' He pulled her out of the chair, and gripped her collar. He growled at her through clenched teeth, "It may not have been long since I brought you here, but I have planned for this. Without me, Kisame would have sliced you to pieces!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Itachi-san. Please release me, I have training."

Itachi lowered her to the floor, "Regardless of what you think or feel, Sakura-chan, I've known you far longer than you know. I've seen your anger before. You will never recall our meeting, but I will never forget it. It was then that I chose for you to be the one revive my clan."

Sakura turned red at his reveal, then stuttered, "I- I'm flattered, surely... b-but..." Itachi covered her mouth, then whispered to her.

"Think about it, I didn't mean to tell you now, but what's done is done. I did mean it, though. I'll give you a couple of months to decide, but I will want an answer, hear me?"

Sakura gulped, then nodded. This last week seemed like something out of a bad romance novel. Sure she liked, no, longed for Itachi, but it didn't feel like he was the _one_. Her rational thoughts were always blocked out by her inner self, that was constantly voicing her opinions.

There was nothing left to do, so she retreated to her room, to think things over.

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Deidara had finished yet another sketch of Sakura. For the last few days he couldn't focus on anything else. But she was a traitorous bitch, he shouldn't have a childish crush on someone like that. Deidara once again reminded himself that less than thirty seconds after she kissed him, she ran off into the arms of Itachi.

Deidara smacked himself. There was no way he could compete with Itachi. Itachi came from a prestigious Konoha clan. Deidara was a lowly orphan, and nowhere near as talented as Itachi. But Sakura...

She drew out the story that he vowed would never again leave his lips. She listened when no one else would. And besides... she was stunning and graceful. The ideal woman.

He had just decided it was time for a snack when he heard voices. Sneaking out of his room, and peering around the corner, Deidara realized it was Itachi and Sakura. They were disagreeing over something.

Itachi had just confessed his desire for her, and she rejected him. Deidara ducked back around the corner as Itachi's head swiveled around. 'So Sakura _didn't _want the Uchiha?' Things were getting quite complicated indeed.

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Days passed by rather uneventfully, Leader was off on a mission, so all other missions were on hold. Deidara had confined himself to his room, only venturing out for food and bathroom breaks. Sakura mostly just lay on her bed, but would occasionally venture out, as long as Itachi was out. The other members were growing irritated with each other, and fights broke out regularly.

Kisame had fallen back into his drinking habit and was frequently passed out on the couch, while Kakazu and Hidan spent most of their times outdoors. Sasori also spent most of his time in his room, probably creating more puppets. Zetsu was seen here and there occasionally, although he never appeared to be doing anything of relative significance.

All in all, Leader, Pein, had to come back soon. Or else everyone would wind up dead.

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Sakura was sitting on her bed. It had been five days since Itachi had _spoken _to her, and she still was no closer to her answer. She was ready to go for another fridge raid when she heard a knock on her door. 'Oh please not be Itachi!' she prayed as she voiced an unsteady, "Come in."

Deidara slowly opened the door, making sure he was quiet. Itachi was supposedly out training, but that was never a guarantee...

"Sakura-chan, I don't know what happened between you and Itachi, un... well I don't even know what happened between us, but all I know is that I do need an explanation, un," he spoke quickly.

Sakura looked into his eyes. They were gorgeous, sincere... yet deadly. They looked so much like Naruto's... she wished he would just walk away and leave her alone, but she owed him an explanation.

"Deidara-kun, I wish I could tell you, but the truth is... I don't even know. Itachi basically proposed to me the other day..."

"I heard, you rejected him, didn't you?"

"Well yes, but he's really persistent and... well I do, um... care for him."

"Do you actually love him?" Deidara asked.

"That's what I've been asking myself, but to tell you the truth, I think I only love the idea of him."

"Can you elaborate on that, un?" Deidara inquired impatiently.

Sakura sighed, "he is the brother of a past love of mine. He broke my heart and left the village. Every time I look at Itachi, I see his eyes, so dark and mysterious... they remind me of Sasuke."

"Itachi's brother? Hm, I heard he was still alive..." Deidara chuckled, "isn't it amazing how we fool ourselves into seeing the ones we love?" He placed a hand on her shoulder, "Sakura-chan, please meet me outside tonight. I have something I want to show you, un."

Sakura nodded, "what time?"

"Nine-thirty, sharp, un. Please don't forget." With that, Deidara left the room, leaving Sakura with a few more questions than answers.

* * *

_Cliffhangers all around! Hey, at least I update every couple of days, not every couple of weeks. _

_Okay, review for me! No flames, because they aren't very helpful. Also thanks to a few reviewers for their great ideas, they sure get me out of my frequent lapses of writers block._


	18. Hook, Line and Sinker

_Say hello to FLUFF! hi fluff! Anyways, you would not believe how fun this chapter was to write! so you better like it... or else. _

* * *

Sakura's face tingled. Her cheeks had become the scarlet red that appeared so frequently nowadays.

"Deidara really likes me..." she whispered. She smiled, turned to her closet and decided to choose a new outfit for that night.

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Itachi swore under his breath, he had returned early from his training to invite Sakura along, but came in to hear her and Deidara speaking alone in her room. He knew that Sakura still had a couple of months to chose who she wanted to be with, but if he just let things be, she would surely chose Deidara.

What was this feeling he now felt? Kind of a mix of anger and resentment... jealousy? But why would be be jealous, he only wanted Sakura to restore his clan. He didn't want any sort of lifelong commitment, did he?

Itachi threw his fist into the wall, creating a sizable hole. 'Why am I so angry?' he thought. He was Uchiha Itachi, he NEVER became angry, what had this girl done to him? He shook his head, and placed his hat on his head. He was going back out to train.

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Sakura jumped when she heard the thump. It sounded like something hit the wall. Sure enough, less than three seconds later, parts of the stone in her room started to cave in.

'What on Earth was that?' she thought.

'**Bah, probably just Kisame falling over drunk, again.'**

Sakura wasn't satisfied with this answer, so she rushed out to check it out. Scanning the hall, she saw nothing, nothing but the swish of the tail of Itachi's cloak...

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Kisame laughed, he had been observing the little love debacle over the last few days. It seemed that Itachi and Sakura would not be getting together. She seemed quite smitten by Deidara, how... unfortunate.

Kisame chuckled, his bottle of sake slipping onto the floor. It is true the he had established a friendly bond with the kunoichi, but she was still the enemy. Until she was officially admitted into the organization, she could not be trusted.

Kisame smirked once more as he heard Itachi punch the wall, then stomped out the front. 'He's getting all that he deserves,' Kisame thought, groping for the bottle of sake. His grin stopped suddenly as Sakura rushed down the hall, calling out to Itachi.

'Great, the kunoichi has to go and ruin it all, doesn't she... stupid women...' Kisame slumped onto the couch and fell asleep.

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"Itachi-senpai! Itachi-senpai! Wait!" Sakura called as she chased the shinobi. Itachi did not turn back, he was too wound up to care what she had to say. He quickened his pace, his hair whipping behind him.

Sakura, too, upped her pace. It didn't take long for the two shinobi to be sprinting down the halls. "Itachi-senpai! Please listen to me!" Sakura tried again, her voice cracking. She forced more chakra out of her feet, reaching remarkable speeds. Of course, Itachi matched that, his form a blur ahead.

"Leave me along, kunoichi!" Itachi called back.

"Fat chance, baka! I don't like to be ignored!" Sakura shouted back, smirking at the irony of her comment.

Itachi grunted and rounded the final corner. As Sakura approached he released the seal and dashed out the opening. Sakura ran after him, pushing herself to make it through before the entrance closed again.

The large stone blocking the way began to fall back into place. Sakura was about halfway through, but the rock was falling much, much faster. At this rate, she'd be crushed.

'Damn it, I won't make it! Wouldn't it be ironic if this kills me?' she thought anxiously. '**What's happening... oh shit! What have you gotten yourself into now?! Gah, let me handle this!' **

Sakura then felt herself slip into unconsciousness. She prayed this was her inner self taking over, not her actually passing out. Seconds ticked by, Sakura was already accepting the fact that death was a possibility.

Itachi was ahead, completely oblivious to the chaos behind him. Completely oblivious to the fact he may have very well just murdered his love...

"Shit, Sakura! You did not make this easy!" Inner Sakura shouted, taking control of her body. '**I'm really sorry, I just wanted to talk to Itachi!' **

"Gah, fine. But trust me, you will be sore in the morning!" Inner Sakura pushed her chakra through Sakura's body, fueling it with energy.

She streaked through the hall, sliding beneath the boulder and sighing as it came down with a dull thud behind her. "Alright, here's your body back. Go get 'em!"

Sakura slipped back into consciousness, regaining the sight in her eyes and the feel in her limbs. She shook her head, to clear her inner self out, and started after Itachi again.

He was out of sight, so she had to track him using his chakra signature. He was very good at concealing it, so it would require an incredibly talented shinobi to find him. Lucky for Sakura, that was exactly what she was.

Itachi slid to a stop at the training ground. He glanced over his shoulder, making sure Sakura was still stuck at the base. He couldn't pin-point her chakra, so he assumed she was gone. "Good, now I can finally relax."

"Guess again, Itachi-senpai," Sakura declared, leaping down from the trees. She brushed her hair out of her eyes and adjusted her headband. Itachi spun around, startled.

"Sakura-san. You shouldn't have followed. I came here to train."

"Yeah sure, then why were you spying on Deidara and I?"

Itachi looked away, "I was just passing through. It had nothing to do with you." Sakura rolled her eyes, she could easily tell when people were lying, even stone-cold guys like Itachi.

"Well then, if you came to train, why don't you?"

"Because you're bothering me. Get lost."

"You're just bitter because Deidara likes me, aren't you?" Sakura boasted childishly.

"Are you insinuating that I actually care about you?"

"You do, don't you. You claim you want me to restore your clan, but there has to be something deeper for you to become so jealous."

"You give yourself to much credit. You are only alive because you have a nice body, nothing more. Weak kunoichi, run along now. Go cry yourself to sleep again and dream of my foolish little brother."

"You bastard, don't you dare bring Sasuke-kun into this!" Sakura screamed, throwing a shuriken in his direction. Itachi drew his katana, blocking the oncoming projectile.

Sakura ran at him, focusing chakra to her fist. "You are going down, teme!"

She felt her fist collide, shattering her opponent. She grinned, and waited for the smoke to clear.

"Damn you!" she yelled as she saw the splinters of log scattering the ground. She looked around, waiting for Itachi to reappear. When he finally did, something wasn't right.

"Too bad, Sakura-san... you're caught already."

"Your genjutsu?"

"Exactly."

"Of course, you couldn't fight me hand-to-hand even if you wanted to," Sakura lured Itachi.

"Is that a challenge?"

"Indeed."

"Hn." Sakura felt the genjutsu dissolving, mentally patting herself on the back for her smooth talking.

Itachi reappeared to her left, smirking. Sakura charged again, aiming for a high kick. It was dodged. Itachi countered with a sweep kick, which was also dodged. The two continued endlessly, both equally matched.

"I underestimated you, Sakura-san. You are quite the fighter," Itachi huffed.

"Same here, here I thought you relied on your genjutsu to win," Sakura replied. She attempted another punch, but collapsed as her chakra ran low. Itachi caught her, then fell over as well. They were both spent.

Sakura lay panting on Itachi, embarrassed that he broke her fall. She slowly rolled off of him, savoring the feel of the lush grass. "Sorry for, um... falling."

Itachi grunted, chest heaving. He propped himself up on his elbows, gazing at the sky. The clouds were drifting slowly, white and fluffy. So beautiful... He glanced over at Sakura, who was red in the face and sweating. She worked so hard... so much fury...

Then next thing he knew, his lips were on hers. His hand cradling her neck. She didn't resist. In fact, she kissed him right back. He slipped his tongue into her mouth, enjoying the irony of the moment.

Sakura fell back onto the grass, arms draped around Itachi's shoulders. She hummed lightly as the kiss drew to a close. He pushed himself off of her and resumed his cloud watching. "What was that for?" she asked melodically. Itachi smirked.

"No reason." Sakura sighed, he was odd. Even if he blatantly showed his affection. They pair sat in silence for a few more minutes, then Itachi spoke.

"Are you going to meet Deidara tonight?"

"I haven't thought about that yet. I suppose so, since he didn't actually call it a date or anything."

"You wouldn't... do anything with him, right?"

"Of course not... wait, is this jealousy I sense?" Sakura grinned.

Itachi looked away, "I just don't want to see you taken advantage of."

"Trust me, Itachi-kun, I can definitely hold my own against Deidara." Itachi drew her close, putting his nose on her head, resting his lips against her forehead.

"Maybe you should just stay with me... stay with me."

"What, so I can help you to 'revive your clan' as you Uchihas put it? Please, I'm not that naive."

"Sakura-chan, I don't know what you've been through with my brother, but I can honestly say that I'm not like him."

"You haven't seen him for years, you'd be surprised... he's grown... to be like you." Sakura stood, and looked over her shoulder. "I'd better be going back, I have a date you know." She exited the clearing, leaving Itachi behind.

"Sakura, wait!" he called.

"Maybe I'll come back, when you can love me for me, not for this," she said, gesturing to body. She turned on her heels, stuck her nose in the air and disappeared.

Itachi growled lowly, pouting slightly. A strange sensation it was, this jealous-child act, strange, but somewhat alluring. He enjoyed the way he could act in her company. It made him feel like the young man he was, not just a killer.

Sakura smiled as she entered the base. She knew she had Itachi baited. The sense of empowerment over him gave her chills, she loved it. For the first time ever, people stronger than her were taking orders from her, well at least he would be soon... She slid her headband off, shaking her hair out.

Her headband was still unscathed, completely flawless, in a way it represented her earlier loyalty to Konoha. But now she found herself actually enjoying her daily life. No more rushing off at five in the morning to work, or only being able to train during her lunch breaks. She hadn't thought about escape for days now. She was finally free.

She grasped one of her kunai tightly in her right hand. Holding her forehead protector in her left she made a strong slash, dividing the leaf symbol... permanently.

* * *

_Woah! Long enough for ya? That may be one of the longest chapters yet! Don't even think about making some sarcastic remark about it! Because I will find you... I'm a master stalker... just check out my other story... hehe._

_So ya, review blah blah... Hey I bet you didn't know that the majority of my reviews come in around 6 hours after I post. Pretty snazzy huh?_


	19. Nature and Love

_Alright quick question, is it correct to call your superiors by -senpai, or -sempai? I'm very confused over that technicality... _

_So here's a quick chapter focusing on the 'meeting,' so enjoy!_

* * *

Sakura threw herself down on her cot. For the first time since arriving in the Akatsuki, she felt like she was in control. Itachi couldn't stay away and neither could Deidara, apparently. She whistled a short tune and stretched out. She was stiff from her fight earlier.

Itachi spent a few more hours outside training. The physical exercise always cleared his mind. It seemed that Sakura was falling for him, regardless of how she fought against it. But there was a drawback, he was falling for her.

He could handle it if it was just a minor crush, or infatuation, but it wasn't. He adored the pink-haired kunoichi. Everything about her was just perfect. To top it off, she was an experienced ninja. If she was truly focused, Itachi didn't doubt that she could beat him. Not many shinobi had that kind of capability, not many at all...

Sakura fell asleep for a short time, until she heard the door across from her open with a creak. Her eyes shot open as she registered the chakra signature as Deidara's. 'It must be time for our meeting,' she thought, peeling herself off of the cot.

She changed quickly, pulling on a loose, but clean shirt and skirt. She smoothed out her hair and took a deep breath. Whatever Deidara had planned, she could handle it.

Sakura waited five minutes after Deidara left, to make sure she didn't seem to eager. She slipped out of her room, silently crossing the room to the exit. She performed the necessary hand signs and left the base, but not without first realizing Itachi was watching.

His chakra signature was blaring behind her, but when she turned he was gone. She shook off the feeling of uneasiness and continued. If Itachi wanted to look out for her, he could, she didn't mind.

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Deidara rung his hands, pacing quickly. 'What if she doesn't come? Maybe Itachi has taken her captive and won't let her leave? Would he do that? Calm down, I'm sure she'll be here in a minute. No sweat, un, none,' Deidara thought nervously. He hadn't had a date in years, and even then, the girls weren't with him voluntarily. That was the price that came with being a successful terrorist.

Minutes ticked by and Deidara became increasingly impatient, fighting off the urge to run in and get her. Finally, the entrance began to open, revealing the gorgeous ninja. He sighed and smiled. Sakura returned the smile and greeted him warmly.

"So where are we off to?" she asked.

"Well, I was thinking we could take a short walk, un. There's something I really want you to see." Sakura shrugged and nodded. "You look really nice tonight, Sakura-chan."

"Why thank you, so do you, Deidara-senpai." And in fact, he did. His hair was taken out of the ponytail he usually wore and swept past his shoulders. He wasn't wearing his head band either and his bangs fell freely, still covering his scope. He was wearing a loose shirt, like her and a pair of cargo pants. All in all, he was very appealing.

Deidara blushed slightly at her comment, heart beating frantically. 'She actually came.'

They started down a small path into the woods. It was covered by a shallow blanket of leaves, freshly discarded from the trees. The pair marveled at how amazing the forest looked during this time. The cherry blossom leaves swirled underfoot, creating a sense of true paradise.

They talked of small things, the weather, Deidara's art, and their hobbies. Finally after a near hour of walking, Deidara stopped.

"Here, cover your eyes, un," he whispered, slipping his hands over her eyes. Sakura agreed apprehensively. She was never all that comfortable when her senses were impaired. "It's okay, Sakura-chan. This will blow you away, un." Sakura prayed he wasn't being literal.

He led her a while longer, then, bringing her to a stop, he dropped his hands, "you can open them now, un." What Sakura saw next took her breath away.

They were standing in a beautiful clearing with a glass pond reflecting the sky before them. All around the heavenly space, cherry blossom trees posed, releasing their leaves into the wind.

The grass was a stunning green, plush and perfect. Every step felt like you were walking through the clouds. And every leaf that brushed your cheek felt like a kiss from a lover. The wind caressed the pair, enveloping them a cyclone of wonder.

They stood in silence, relishing their moments in paradise. Sakura whispered to Deidara, "is this real?" Deidara nodded, then pulled her down onto the grass beside the pond.

"I found this place by accident. I got my directions mixed up and instead of traveling west, I came east... to this place. It's like all of Earth's conflicts have bypassed this wonderland, un."

"Deidara, I don't know what to say. It is just so... spectacular." She leant over the water and ran her finger through its surface. "It is just water... not a mirror." The ripples panned out, lapping against the smooth shores, and eventually became still once more.

Sakura became so immersed in the fantasy that she completely forgot about Itachi, who had been following at a distance. Although, she no longer cared. The scene was so perfect that she could die then, without any regrets.

Deidara pulled her close and pointed to the horizon. The setting sun was giving off brilliant rays of red and orange, laced with a pink haze. Sakura grinned and allowed Deidara's arms to wrap around her.

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Itachi could not understand why Sakura and Deidara were so amazed. It was just a bunch of trees and leaves, nothing special. Pathetic people, getting worked up over a little nature. So far, the two hadn't shown any blatant affection for each other, so there was no need to intervene.

Itachi poised himself in a nearby tree and decided to watch the sunset. How he longed to be there with Sakura, surveying the scene together... he took another look around and concluded that his Sakura was still the most beautiful thing there. Damn that Deidara, thinking he had chance with his kunoichi.

Itachi could bear the fact that the two sat in the grass together, but it became increasingly difficult to stay put when Deidara brought Sakura close, into his embrace. Itachi's fists twitched, longing to connect with the blonde, but he held his position, allowing Deidara his moment.

Eventually the sun set, permitting the darkness to seep over the land. Itachi expected the pair to head back, but they didn't. Deidara had grasped Sakura's wrist and brought her hand to his lips. Sakura gasped, but didn't show any desire to leave.

Itachi glared at the pair, simply daring them to go further. 'If that blonde even _thinks_ about tainting her lips with his, he's a dead man.' Itachi thought menacingly.

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Sakura knew where all of this was heading. A kiss on the hand, a tight embrace... the next step was easy to spot, but she didn't want it. All she could think of since the scenery began to fade was Itachi, how he ran his hands through her hair and spoke of the future...

Deidara knew that now was the time to kiss her. If he didn't make his feelings clear then, he never would.

Itachi saw the change in Deidara's eyes. It was like he had just made a decision... Itachi leapt from the tree, determined to stop the kiss.

Sakura felt Itachi coming close, and she saw Deidara coming close. She had to stop this, if she didn't a deadly fight was sure to break out.

She pushed Deidara off of her and leapt up. Raising her arm high, she blocked the punch Itachi threw towards Deidara. She winced at the sheer brutality of it, but held her ground. Itachi' eyes widened.

"Sakura! What are you doing?" he spat at his love.

"I can't have you hurt him. He hasn't done anything wrong!" she retorted. Deidara just lay back in the grass, mouth agape.

"Sakura-chan... you s-saved me..." he whispered.

"Of course I did. I can't have you get hurt because of me." Itachi dropped his hands and pursed his lips.

"So, Sakura. You choose this man over me?" he asked dangerously.

"Itachi, hear me out. Today I honestly thought that you didn't care about who I was, only what I looked like. But now... you've been watching me all evening and that... requires some degree of dedication." Itachi took a step towards her.

"Of course I care... you are the only person to ever have got me feeling anything. I can't have you in the arms of another, I would die," Itachi stated, stroking her cheek.

Deidara watched the scene grimly, accepting defeat. Slowly he rose to face Itachi. "Itachi-san... I know you aren't all that fond of me, un, but I know that even you can appreciate this. You win. You have earned her love, succeeded where I failed. Congratulations, un." He turned to Sakura, "I've always known that we wouldn't be able to be together, because I could never beat Itachi, that's just how it is, un."

Deidara turned from the others and slowly made his way back to headquarters, leaving the two alone. Sakura watched after him, until not even the gleam of his hair could be seen. Then she said, "Itachi, what now? I mean, do I join you, your team I mean?"

Itachi smirked, "not quite. We keep this as quiet as possible. There aren't many rules in the Akatsuki, but one is that we aren't allowed relationships. Leader cannot find out."

"When does he return?"

"Leader and Konan return tomorrow morning. That's when your loyalty will be tested. We better be getting back, you need your rest." Itachi said, leading her back down that familiar path, but not first without slowly brushing his lips against hers.

* * *

_So how was it? Review please and let me know. Sorry for not updating as quickly as I used to. But trust me, I will try my very best to get these out!  
_


	20. Death of a Loved One

_Please don't kill me for this chapter, or send flames! Just warning... _

* * *

Tsunade swallowed another mouthful of sake. Her mind had been swimming with thoughts over this past month.

She had been questioning her mentoring lately. What had she done wrong for Sakura to abandon Konoha so easily? Mixed thoughts of her former teammate, Orochimaru, flooded in. Perhaps some people were just born with then need to be more... spontaneous. Although, Orochimaru had always been somewhat detached and sadistic, even in their early days, and Sakura... well she loved Konoha.

Tsunade dissolved the thought. She would never, ever compare her Sakura to that vile snake. Something must have happened to her, Sakura would have never willing deserted, never.

Tsunade was about to chug another glass of sake when she heard an all-too-familiar 'thud' behind her.

"What is it now, Jiraiya?" she mumbled softly. He was probably the last person she wanted to deal with.

"Tsunade, big trouble! Naruto's gone!" the Sannin reported urgently.

Tsunade sighed. "Is that all? Have you checked Ichiraku's?" she asked him tiredly.

"No, you don't understand, here," he handed the Hokage a slip of paper, "look at this." Tsunade took the note begrudgingly, scanning it over.

A second later she stood, hands on her desk. A small tear dripped down onto the dark mahogany wood. "Damn you, Akatsuki." She lifted up her chair, "DAMN YOU!" and thrust it through the window, her face contorted with rage.

Jiraiya stood by his friend, placed a large hand on her shoulder and took the note. It may prove useful in the search for the pair.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sakura awoke a little after dawn, to the sound of voices outside her door.

"They haven't killed each other? Wow, I was almost certain we'd have a position open. It must have been weird having them all in the same place," a light, female voice commented.

"No, they should know how to behave with each other," a deeper, male voice replied, "now, take the prisoner out back and don't underestimate it. It does house the Kyuubi, after all."

Sakura almost passed out. 'The Kyuubi? They don't mean Naruto, do they? He didn't get caught trying to find her, did he? If he did, that would be the stupidest, most idiotic thing that blond has ever done,' Sakura thought anxiously.

She thought back to when Naruto first heard that Sasuke had left. He didn't stop his efforts to find him. Even after getting horribly injured fighting, he vowed to get stronger and bring his friend back. So of course he came to find her, right?

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Itachi met Konan out in the training grounds behind the base. A thin, blonde boy was handed over to him. Completely unconscious, he wasn't a threat, but Itachi kept his guard up. Jinchuuriki were known to be very unpredictable.

"Haruno-san will be tested in three hours. Inform her of what she is to do, and Pein-sama will make sure you never speak again," she warned, slipping out of sight.

Itachi sighed, 'such useless threats, I need Sakura to pass or else I'd never see her again.' He performed a genjutsu on the captive, assuring he wouldn't escape.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Pein informed the other members of Sakura's trial, but not what it entailed. Sakura stayed in her room, praying that what she had to do has nothing to do with Naruto.

An hour later, a sharp knocking snapped Sakura out of her thoughts. She shook her head then shouted, "come in!"

Kisame entered, sober for the first time in days. "Hey, Sakura-san. You better come out. Your test starts in two hours, you 'll want to be prepared.

"Kisame-san? Do you know what kind of test I'll have to complete?"

"Nope, sorry. But if it's anything like what everyone else was put through, it'll involve sacrifice," he said, exiting the room.

Sakura remembered that Deidara was forced to kill the Tsuchikage, and she assumed that Itachi had to kill his clan. If Naruto was truly at the base, then she could only guess what her test would be...

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Itachi knew that he should have prepared her mentally for this circumstance. He knew that Leader was heartless, he should have seen it coming. But it didn't add up. Why would Leader want Sakura to kill the Jinchuuriki? Didn't they need the Kyuubi in their plans? Lately, things had been spiraling out of control, this only added to the mix.

He figured Sakura would like some breakfast, so he fixed her a couple of eggs and left them on the table. He heard Kisame tell her to get a move on, so she'd be there soon. As she entered the room, Itachi's gaze warmed, but it was not returned. Sakura simply stared blankly at him, almost without recognition.

"Sakura, are you alright?" he asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

She snapped back into reality. "Oh, Itachi! I'm fine, of course... I'm fine," she lied. Itachi saw it too, but didn't mention it as he handed her the plate. She issued a quick thanks, but didn't eat. Her eyes just glazed over and stared at her food.

Itachi was concerned, did she know about her test? She couldn't have, unless Kisame told her something. He rubbed her back, trying to bring her back, "tell me what's wrong." She shrugged his arms off, shaking her head. "Don't lie to me, you're preoccupied. You don't even have any chopsticks!"

He walked back to the kitchen, and tossed a pair at her. She caught them deftly, but did not eat. They sat in silence for a short moment, when Sakura spoke, "they have Naruto, don't they?"

Itachi weighed his options, he could lie, or tell the truth. Judging by the question, he figured that she already knew the answer. "Yes, Leader brought him here this morning."

Sakura sighed, "it's all my fault, if I wasn't so weak..." Itachi stopped her.

"Sakura, you are not weak. You are talented and beautiful, what happens to your friend is not your fault." That was a lie, for he would die at her hands, but she didn't have to know that now.

Sakura didn't respond, she simply stood up then walked to the bathroom. "I'm going to get ready, you can eat that if you'd like. I'm not hungry."

Itachi complied, not willing to waste his cooking efforts. He knew Sakura was emotional, but she'd have to get over it eventually. He only hoped she could handle what the future held.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

An hour and a half later, everyone was assembled outside. They had created a rough semi-circle around the training area. Naruto lay in the center, trapped in the genjutsu. Sakura stared, open-eyed, tears running down her face as she looked upon her friend.

He had numerous bruises and cuts, evidence of a struggle. He was whispering something softly, to quiet to distinguish. Itachi had his arms by his side, ignoring his desire to wrap them around her. Leader could not know about their romance.

Pein finally stepped forward. "Haruno-san, if you truly wish to become a semi-official member of Akatsuki, then you must fulfill this task."

"Semi-official?" a voice asked.

"Yes, without an official ring, she cannot become a full member. Although, eventually Orochimaru's will be returned, solving the problem," Pein continued.

"Your task today is to sever all previous ties to Konoha. You must murder your teammate, the Jinchuuriki known as Uzumaki Naruto."

Itachi stiffened, this was so much like when he murdered his friend, Shisui, all those years ago. Although he only fulfilled that so he could obtain his new sharingan, but the basic principle was there. He prodded Sakura forward, and she moved slowly, eyes still wide.

'I can't do this, Naruto's my friend... they can't make me...' she thought frantically, trying to find an escape.

"There's no way out of this, Haruno-san," Pein remarked, reading her mind, "just get it over with, then you can remain with us."

A tear slid down her face, threatening to break her spirit. She knew that if she didn't kill Naruto, someone else would. Perhaps this was best... there was no other choice. She glanced back at Itachi who nodded once at her.

"Remove the genjutsu," Pein ordered. Itachi did, Naruto became instantly coherent.

"Hey, what's going on?" he yelled, then spotted Sakura. "Sakura-chan! I'm so glad you're here! I've heard terrible things, like you joining Akatsuki! I'm so..." he looked around at others, "what's going on? Did they catch you, you didn't betray Konoha, did you?" His eyes were pleading to her.

"Naruto, I..." she began.

"The test, Haruno-san," Pein reminded her.

"Naruto, I have to kill you... I- I have to..." she whispered, allowing the tears to flow freely.

"Sakura-chan... why? Don't we mean anything to you? Kakashi-sensei, Sasuke, Tsunade... me? Were we just people to throw away to you?" Sakura shook her head, but he continued, "ever since Sasuke left you've been vacant, lifeless. If you take my life, you will never become your old self. You'll become like... like THESE PEOPLE!" Naruto shouted, indicating around him.

"Naruto, just let me do this, I have to," she spoke softly, wiping tears out of her eyes.

"I won't resist, you know. But please, just think of the consequences... think of your friends."

"I have people here, too... and a future as well. I'm not stuck in a hospital all day, I'm useful now."

"Yeah, sure. If killing innocent people is being useful, go ahead."

Sakura drew out a kunai, and stepped towards her friend. She slipped behind him, holding his neck. Whispering into his ear she said, "this will be quick, I'm so, so sorry Naruto... please, know that I love you and this is for your own benefit."

Shock and confusion passed through his eyes, but it didn't last, before long they became clouded... blank.

* * *

_Alright, again, NO FLAMES! eek. Hey, make sure to send a review, even if you have nothing to say, I like 'em anyways! Thanks to my faithful reviewers, and stay tune for the next chapter!_


	21. Shapeshift

_Yay, I only got a couple flames for last chapter, well ha. Silly people, read between the lines!_

* * *

"Well then, that's that. Congratulations, Haruno-san," Pein remarked. Sakura just stared. The blood dripped off of her clothing, splattering the green grass beneath her. She released the kunai and stepped back, eyes wide with horror. She hadn't killed often and this was the worst of them all. The corpse twitched slightly, then fell still.

Sakura felt her stomach retch. She couldn't handle this, not now. She turned to Itachi, "Uchiha-san, please take me back." Itachi nodded, expressionless; as if his features were carved into stone. Sakura turned to Pein, bowed slightly then fell into Itachi's arms. He picked her up slowly and headed back to the base.

As soon as they were out of sight, he placed her down. "You know, you are a very good actress." It was Sakura's turn to smirk. She did feel that she did a pretty good job.

"Thanks, that means a lot, coming from you," she gave him shy hug, "I can't thank you enough for helping me. If you hadn't told me it was just Leader's technique at work, I don't think I would have been able to go through with it. I had no idea he could make such a perfect illusion."

"It's no problem." He didn't think it was fair to tell her that she did, in fact, kill someone, just not her friend. Pein's technique was quite convincing, only his sharingan can tell when he shape-shifts a person.

Itachi also gave props to the replacement. They had done quite a good job impersonating the jinchuuriki, but Itachi wondered, what did Pein tell him? He didn't tell one of his subordinates that a kunoichi from the leaf village was going to murder him, did he?

Itachi turned back to Sakura and patted her on the back, she did well.

Sakura walked a moment longer, then realized, "they do have Naruto, don't they?" Itachi nodded. "You have to help me get him out of here! If he dies... I don't know what I'd do."

She looked so close to tears, Itachi couldn't help but agree, but I'd be risky... "Are you sure, Sakura? Perhaps we shouldn't take that chance. If they find us, we'd be killed."

"Itachi, I'll do this alone. You just need to tell me where to find Naruto, and I'll do the rest."

Itachi considered this a moment, then shook his head. "No, I couldn't let that happen."

"You won't help me?"

"I never said that. I will help you Sakura, because... I love you."

Sakura paused, then smiled. "I love you too, Itachi." She stood on her tip-toes and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. He stared ahead, in shock then smiled. It was a genuine smile, not a smirk or a snarl, a smile.

"Alright, love. Let's plan a breakout." He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her into a deep kiss, sealing the deal.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kisame was angry. He hadn't actually expected Sakura to kill her friend. It took a special kind of person to be that heartless, well an Akatsuki would fit that description pretty well, but he hadn't thought that Sakura was Akatsuki material. Although, Kisame was known to be wrong.

If Sakura failed, Kisame would have been the one to kill her himself, leaving Itachi as alone as he was. He couldn't get over what had happened over a decade over ago, the event that created his loneliness. The loss of the one person that could see past his bizarre looks and terrible temper...

_Flashback..._

Kisame wiped the blood from the Samehada, his face grim. It took him all week to find his target, and he was exhausted. He threw himself on his large double bed, located in the hidden shack he called home.

The house was small, consisting of only two bedrooms and one bathroom. It was small, but comfortable.

He gazed around the tight space, noting it's cleanliness. 'Akira must have been cleaning... again,' he thought. Akira was obsessed with keeping things as neat as possible, often spending hours cleaning a day. She was currently out in the garden, picking the vegetables that had just ripened.

Kisame threw his sword down and stretched, 'why not go and see how she's doing...' He picked his way around various buckets of water and packets of sponges to the back door. Sliding the screen open, he smiled.

Akira was bent over, hands deep in the dark soil, frantically ripping out carrots. Kisame called out to her, "Hey, what's the rush, love?" She gasped and leapt up.

"Kisame, oh you're back!" she called, rushing up to meet him. She wrapped her slender arms around his neck and gave him a big welcome kiss. He chuckled and returned the kiss then dipped her low, causing her to giggle.

"So, how'd the mission go?" she asked politely.

"Tediously, I'm actually kind of sick of it all. There's no structure whatsoever. Who knows if next week I'll even have a mission."

"Maybe we should have stayed in the Mist village, if stability is what you desire."

"The mist village, stable? Being a swordsman for that pathetic plot of land was the most strenuous thing I've ever done. I was always watching my back for assassins and mercenaries. Trust me, here is much better."

"Whatever you say, hun," she replied, pouring a large glass of sake for her love. He drank it down greedily. He hadn't had a decent drink in ages.

"What would I do without you?" he asked, pulling her into a tight embrace.

She sighed and buried her face into his shirt, "I love you, Kisame."

"As do I... as do I."

_End flashback..._

Kisame smacked his head against a nearby tree. No matter how hard he tried, he could not get over her. Every time he closed his eyes, her gorgeous face was there, smiling sadly at him. But she was gone now, he had to remember that. There was no way of bringing her back, but there was a way to make him feel better about it.

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Tsunade was rushing through the streets, hurrying to reach the hospital. Since Sakura was gone, she had to take over her numerous shifts, which did not ease the Hokage's stress. She rounded the corner and ran right into Hinata, Shino and Kiba.

"Hey, you kids watch it. I have places to go!" she grumbled, pushing past.

"Wait, Tsunade-sama! Have you heard any news?" Kiba shouted at her. She turned, sighing loudly.

"No, actually I haven't. Thanks for reminding me of such a painful part of my life right now." She turned to Hinata, remembering her recent injury. "How's your arm healing? Are all the nerves working properly?"

Hinata blushed and looked down. "Y-yes, thank you so much. My arm is much better, thanks to y-you," the young girl stuttered.

"Good to hear, I gotta run now," Tsunade turned away, but shouted over her shoulder, "I'll keep you posted on the retrieval!"

Kiba sighed. This was so much like when Sasuke left, such a depressing subject. Sakura had been the backbone of the village. She was the one who basically ran the hospital, kept Tsunade in order and kept everyone's spirits up during particularly tough missions.

But she hadn't been the same since Sasuke left. She became more fragile, becoming sad over the smallest things. Sasuke had taken a piece of her heart and locked it away.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Itachi held onto Sakura's hand tightly. She kept wanting to find Naruto that second, but he argued that waiting until the cover of night would be most effective. He was currently keeping her from searching the whole base, with an iron grip on her hand.

"Seriously, Sakura stop it. We need a plan, just barging down there would get us caught for sure!"

"So it's underground? Are we going to burrow in? Come on, let's go get him!" she shouted frantically. Itachi clasped his other hand over her mouth.

"Do you really want us to get caught? They would kill us, is that not getting through to you?"

"If you're so afraid, let me go alone!"

"Sakura, you know I can't be without you. Every second we're apart, I am tortured a little more. If you were to die, I would die as well." Sakura just looked into his eyes, and stopped struggling. He really did love her, did she return the same feelings, to that extent? Would she be able to live without the criminal?

Another look into his dark, trusting eyes gave her the answer, no. No she couldn't live without the Uchiha. He was so much more than what Sasuke was, she couldn't even remember what she saw in that foolish little brother of Itachi's.

They only had a few hours before they would put their lives on the line and they were going to spend them the way lovers should, frantically making a plan to break Naruto out of the clutches of Akatsuki.

* * *

_How was it? Review!! I bet you're all sorry you freaked out, aren't you? Like I would kill of Naruto, geez._


	22. Have You Heard The News?

_Ha, I love you guys! The reviews I got for the last couple of chapters were hilarious! Some of you really take this to heart, don't you? Lol, well enjoy._

* * *

"So that's the plan? Just run in there at night and take him?" Sakura inquired, disbelievingly.

"Yes."

"You are unbelievable. You make me sit around all day, doing nothing, for no reason?"

"Yes."

Sakura swatted at Itachi. He ducked under her fist and slipped behind her. "What's wrong with wanting a few more minutes with you?"

"It's selfish," she commented, leaning back into him. He held her close and whispered in her ear.

"That's just how I am, Sakura dear. You better get used to it."

"You're annoyingly sadistic, you know that?"

"You hurt me with your words, you know that?" he whispered, nuzzling her hair. She pushed him away angrily.

"This is not a time to be joking around! We have work to do, we have to save Naruto!"

Itachi crossed his arms, "who's joking? And what's the big deal with this Naruto kid? It's not like the world's going to end if we just let him be."

Sakura glared, "you wouldn't get it. Let's see if I can put this in perspective for you... losing Naruto would be like you losing... losing your sharingan."

"Is it now? You rely on this kid to perform special jutsus that immobilizes your opponent to give you the upper hand in almost any situation?" Itachi mock gasped.

"You're being incredibly difficult," Sakura spat.

"So are you," Itachi spoke, his voice velvety and seductive. He gave her a deep kiss, savoring the moment. When they broke apart, Sakura's anger had dissolved.

"What was that for?" she asked quietly.

"No reason." he loved the affect he had on her. He could completely dazzle her with just a single kiss. After a few seconds, Sakura seemed to compose herself.

"Alright... can we actually plan something out now, please Itachi?"

"Hn, I'm not completely convinced..." he replied, shrugging.

"Aw, please Itachi-chan... Pwreettyy pwease..." she babied, pouting.

"Ug, don't call me that, it's too weak sounding... but fine, let's figure out a way to break your friend out."

"Yeah, alright! Let's do this! We can call it... Naruto retrieval!" she stopped, realizing that that was a similar name to Sasuke's retrieval. It didn't faze her that much, though. It just made her realize that she was over the moody, self-absorbed Uchiha. Plus, she had a much better one right next to her.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto woke feeling stiff and tired. He rubbed his eyes, adjusting to the dim lighting. Where was he? The last thing he knew he was in his room... this wasn't his room. Peering into the darkness, he could make out the shapes of a bed and a door. The light was slipping through a thin crack in the wall.

He shook his legs out, trying to relieve the stiffness. He yawned loudly and smacked his lips. He'd find out who stuck him in this hole, then kick their ass.

The room was odd, it was stopping him from using jutsus, repressing his chakra. Sighing, he pulled himself to his feet and walked over to the wall. Standing on his tip-toes, he managed to reach the crack. He put his eye up to it, attempting to see where he was. Unfortunately there was nothing, or at least, nothing he could see.

He sat on the bed and thought, 'now who would want to capture me? Hmm, maybe Jiraiya's using this for training...' but it seemed unlikely, 'oh wait! Aren't the Akatsuki trying to nab me? Yeah... that's right, but this doesn't seem like a real 'evil villain' kind of cell... slackers.'

He sat back and stared at the ceiling. There was no reason to be freaking out just yet. He'd get them when they came in to give him food or something. Strategy was everything.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kisame had just had the pleasure of watching Zetsu 'get rid of' a body. Now he knew why the human plant didn't have a partner. Kisame shuddered and headed for his room. The next day the teams would be dispatched again, each going their separate ways. Sakura wasn't given a partner, she was to tag along with Itachi and himself for a few months, then go on her own... lucky her.

On his way to his room, he heard whispering coming from Sakura's room. It was pretty late for her to be entertaining guest, unless by 'guests' it was Itachi, then he didn't want to know what they were saying. Well that's what he told himself as he pressed his ear to the door.

"We'll just wait for the other's to go to bed, then we'll head out."

"Where will he be hidden?"

"Probably in one of the high-security holding cells, Konan seemed really particular on not underestimating him."

"That's not good... how will we break in?"

"Who said anything about breaking in? I have a key."

"And you couldn't have mentioned that earlier?" They fell into silence, then Kisame heard a pained grunt, as if Sakura had just clubbed Itachi.

So they were planning on breaking the jinchuuriki out? How... unexpected. So Itachi was betraying the organization and taking his chances with the kunoichi. It would be really cute if it wasn't such a blatant display of treason. They would have to be stopped, and Kisame would finally have his revenge against Akatsuki...

_Flashback_

"I'm off on another mission. I should be back later this week!" Kisame called out to Akira.

"Already, you just got back! You should take it easy..." she suggested, giving him a hug.

"We need the money, you know that. Don't worry, I'll be back before you know it." He commented, speaking slowly.

"Time goes so much slower when you're gone, you know that."

"I was trying to be optimistic, hun."

"I know, have... fun?" she half asked, half wished.

"Yeah sure, that works... bye."

"...bye..."

Kisame set out. His mission this week was to guard a large business owner when he went to a series of meetings. Whether the meetings were of the legal kind was a mystery.

As he approached his destination, he felt an eerie presence behind him. He spun around, catching a glimpse of black swirling into the trees. He grasped the hilt of his sword, preparing for a fight.

"Please relax, I mean you no harm, Hoshigaki-san," a voice said from the trees.

"Come out, who are you, and how do you know my name?" Kisame called back.

"I know a lot of things... about you, your life, and your ambitions."

"I said, get out where I can see you!"

The voice chuckled monotonously, the sound echoing around Kisame. "Please Hoshigaki-san, keep your temper in check. I wish only to speak with you."

"Then speak to me face-to-face!"

"As you wish." Seconds passed before a short gust of wind and sand swirled before the Mist shinobi. Shielding his eyes with a pale blue arm, he saw the intruder. It was a boy, probably not much older than sixteen, with flaming red hair and a wicked smile.

Kisame laughed lightly. He thought he was going to have to fight someone challenging, not some kid. "Alright brat, you got me. Now run along to your mom."

The kid smirked, then cocked his head to the side, "I see you are making a joke based on my appearance. Well I can assure you that what you don't see is what could very well kill you."

Kisame furrowed his brows, 'what is this kid talking about? I should kill him now and get it over with.' "Are you even a ninja? What do you know about combat?"

The red-head sighed and looked skyward. "You really don't know who I am, do you? Well, in that case, I'll enlighten you. My name is Sasori of the Red Sands." Kisame gasped as he recognized the name.

"But you're just a child, the Sasori I've heard of is my age, at least," Kisame argued.

"Now isn't that a mystery? Since I admire you're abilities and know that we'll be seeing a lot more of each other in the future, I will relinquish my secret," Sasori paused for dramatic effect, "I'm not human."

Kisame took a moment to contemplate this, "you're kidding, right? How is that possible."

In an instant, the fairly normal looking teenager became a monster. By simply dropping his cloak to the rough ground, he revealed what he had created himself. His arms were fake, his torso was fake, even his legs were fake. From every possible point in his body, dangerous weapons jutted out, dripping with poison and inevitably lethal.

"Well that makes a whole lot more sense. Thank you for clarifying that, Sasori-san."

Sasori gave a slight nod, "Now, I have a proposition for you, Kisame-san."

"What can I do for the great Sasori of the Red Sands?" Kisame asked humbly.

"Well you see, I have happened to become a member of a new organization of late. They are looking for exceptional shinobi who have had frequent brushes with the law. With your incredible chakra reserves and strength, you are a prime candidate."

"Am I now? Well it does seem like a great... opportunity, but I'm not one that enjoys being tied down to any one place."

"Members of Akatsuki do not stay put for long, I can assure you that. You would be partaking in dangerous missions and expected to travel great distances, but the pay is phenomenal."

"Well I do sort of have a commitment here..."

"Ah yes, your beloved... Akira-san, is it? Well I can assure you she is of no consequence now."

"What do you mean by that?" Kisame inquired, alarmed.

"Please do not be upset by this, but she was found dead not three hours ago," Sasori informed politely.

Kisame gaped. What did this person mean, Akira was dead? He was with her the day prior. They had hugged and kissed and argued together. It just wasn't possible. "W-what?"

"Bandits raided your home. I went there looking for you, only to find her already deceased. My condolences, but now you have nothing tying you to that place, am I right?"

Kisame was speechless, his love... gone? The thought was impossible, unfathomable. Did this... Akatsuki have anything to do with it? Bitter rage built up inside of Kisame, how could this... thing, expect him to join an organization only minutes after finding out his sweatheart was murdered? So Kisame reacted the only way he knew how...

Unsheathing the Samehada, he charged. He was going to kill the boy, then exterminate the next town he came to and get himself drunk. That should make him feel better, yes... much better.

As the Samehada came crashing down, Sasori leapt, many coils of rope unwinding from his torso. Within seconds, Kisame was immobilized. "You see, Kisame-san. I am much more advanced in combat arts than you are. Besides, you fight blinded by rage and disappointment. Join Akatsuki and we will put your talents to use. It would be a great new start for you."

Kisame bit his lip. He couldn't think of what to do... so he reacted on instinct. "Alright, I'm in."

_End Flashback..._

* * *

_Oohh... annoyingly long flashbacks... fun stuff. Please review, as usual... or, you know... remind me to update. Oh yes, this just in. I've decided not to make it a tragedy, or else I'm pretty sure one of you would eat me. Not even kidding. _


	23. All's Fair in Love and War

_Yay, new record! This is the longest chapter yet! Bask in the length, the glorious length! Well just to warn you, the story will be ending soon. So ya..._

* * *

Itachi sighed, Sakura was being impatient, very impatient. It was times like these he wondered if she was a shinobi at all. He threw himself on her bed and stared at the ceiling. Sakura continued to pace the room, awaiting nightfall. The clicking of her feet on the stone was beginning to get on his nerves.

"Sakura, could you relax? You're starting to bug me," he grumbled, rubbing his eyes.

"Well you're bugging me. You haven't done anything productive, you're just lying there!"

"You're one to talk..." he whispered to quietly for her to hear. Then he had an idea, "You know... we could do something productive..." he commented suggestively.

"And what would that be... oh..." Sakura realized his intent and blushed fiercely. "I don't think that's a good idea..."

Itachi chuckled, and rolled onto his side. "Is my little kunoichi embarrassed?" The nickname earned him a glare. "I was just joking..." he whispered.

"Yeah, sure you were."

"Well actually, I was gauging your reaction, and if you were okay with it we would go from there," he replied honestly.

"You are painfully blunt, you know that."

"It's better than keeping secrets, right?"

"I suppose... I'm sorry for acting like this, it's not your fault." Sakura sat by feet on the bed.

Itachi sat up and moved next to her. She sighed and leaned back onto his firm chest, allowing him to wrap his arms around her. He kissed her hair softly, breathing in her scent. Her hair smelt like strawberries that day, sweet and seductive.

"Of course it's my fault. All of this is my fault," he muttered gesturing to the stone walls of the room, "You'd still be in Konoha with great friends and a chance at a great future if it wasn't for me."

Sakura twisted in his lap to look him straight in the eyes. "This is my future now." She said it with such finality that Itachi was slightly taken back.

"Wait... do you mean..." he stuttered.

"Yeah, I do mean it... Uchiha Itachi, I will stay with you forever." Itachi's heart skipped a beat. He had informally asked her to marry him near two weeks ago, but she had declined with all haste. He told her to think about it, and now she had made a choice. He laughed nervously.

He gently pushed Sakura off of his lap and stood awkwardly in the center of the room. "Sakura, will you hang on just a moment?" She nodded, and he all but dashed out of the room.

"Did I do something wrong?" She asked herself. He seemed ecstatic enough, but why would he leave? She sat on the bed, twiddling her thumbs for a whole three minutes when Itachi burst back into the room, face flustered. "What is it, Itachi? If I did something to upset you..."

"No! Not at all, I was just... here, let me show you." With that he lowered to one knee and held her left hand securely within his own. "Haruno Sakura, will you marry me?" He reached into the pocket of his robe and withdrew a dark blue, velvet box.

Sakura gasped when she saw the wonder it held. "Oh my... it's so beautiful, Itachi! Yes, yes I will marry you!" The ring he slipped onto her finger was, in fact, beautiful. A braided gold band gently holding a small row of diamond in place. Of the three diamonds, the center one was the most brilliant. It was a fair size with many faces, each reflecting the light in a glorious spectrum of color.

Although, the ring didn't mean that much to her. All that Sakura cherished was Itachi. Every moment they were apart meant a piece of her went with him. She had fallen for him, and that was something even time would not erase.

When Sakura tore her eyes away from the promise that adorned her hand and looked into Itachi's eyes, she almost didn't recognize him. He had abandoned the shinobi rule of not revealing your emotions completely. He smiled crookedly, eyes bright with happiness. It seemed that he was not used to this side of himself, he seemed lost in his own emotion.

Then he stood and lifted Sakura off the bed, and with such a ferocious wanting, he pushed his lips to hers, she returned the kiss, of course. It was several minutes before they broke apart, content and completely, utterly in love.

"If anything happens to us..."

"We'll know we tried." Itachi finished her sentence, silencing her with another quick peck on the lips.

They sat in a comfortable silence, wrapped in each others embrace. Finally, Sakura had to speak up. "I think they're asleep, we should go." Itachi sighed, then replied.

"I'll go make sure, I'm quieter than you."

"With all haste," Sakura whispered. She was so preoccupied with her thoughts, she didn't notice the quick motions Itachi made with his hands.

Itachi cast the genjutsu flawlessly. He wouldn't allow his Sakura to risk her life, even if it meant betraying her a little. He watched sadly as she fell into his arms, "sleep well, my love." Placing her on the bed, he left to complete the mission,

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto was becoming impatient. It had been at least a whole day since he'd been stuffed in this hole they called a cell. "You people should be more courteous! I'm gonna starve to death!" That was a little far from the truth, but his stomach sure was protesting.

Naruto sat down again, allowing his boredom to overwhelm him. So, naturally his thoughts began to sneak up on him.

'Is Sakura actually here? Is she walking around, sleeping peacefully, or nowhere near this place? I can't believe they took me from Konoha, my room no less! I should have been paying attention, no time is safe for a shinobi.'

Naruto stood up furiously, why was he even considering Sakura's betrayal? He still harbored feelings for her, but for the most part, he only loved her like a sister. It had pained him when he left, leaving her behind, but he knew that she was hurt more from that than he was.

He had been told that she had lost herself, become a shell of her former self. She became fragile, and reserved. But she grew strong as well, as long as her opponent didn't take a jab at her emotions, she was unstoppable. If only he had brought Sasuke back all those years ago... what would their lives be like?

Naruto attempted his shadow clone jutsu, but to no avail. The cell made sure his techniques were useless. He slammed his fists into the dark stone, "Damn you! Stupid, rock!" He uttered a string of meaningless curses towards the stone before tiring. He lay down on the cot and and decided to count the cracks in the ceiling.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kisame wait outside the Jinchuuriki's cell. He knew Itachi and Sakura would be arriving soon. It would only take a second for him to strike the kunoichi down. He wished he could kill her slowly, using Sasori's method of poisoning, like they did to his beloved. But, considering the circumstances, that would be generally ineffective.

_Flashback_

"I should go back... bury her body or something..." Kisame muttered to Sasori.

"No, the body was to mutilated, it's better if you just leave her." Kisame thought he saw a glint of alarm in the red-head's eyes, but ignored it. "We should leave this place, I'm sure Leader wants to meet you."

Suddenly, a burst of pain shot through Kisame's mind. He fell to his knees, sprawling in the mud, clutching his head. "Wh-what is this?!" he yelled, writhing in pain. Sasori showed no sympathy for the fallen shinobi, he could empathize, but knew it was for the best.

"It's just Leader's genjutsu. The pain will pass, just relax."

"How can I relax? He's killing me!" Then the agony stopped. Kisame took in a deep breath and got to his feet. Within an instant he was open to a whole new world. He could see the Leader and all of the other members as clearly as if they were right there, sitting in his mind.

"How'd you like it?" Sasori asked, or thought to Kisame. "It's our form of communication, telepathy."

"Incredible..." was all Kisame could think to say. It was more than incredible, it was phenomenal. Every thought of the other members was apparent and he could contact them. He was greeted instantly by the others, treated like one of them.

"You'll have to learn to control it, we can't have you reading all of our thoughts, now can we?" Sasori mentioned quickly. What was his apprehension for? Kisame focussed in on the teenager.

Sasori's thoughts were a mess. They were mostly dominated by his parents, but a few were more recent. His wife, and the supposed massacre... Kisame exited his thoughts as quickly as he entered, appalled.

"You... you killed her..." Kisame accused Sasori.

"I warned you not to look, but I won't lie. Yes, I murdered your wife. But now it's your choice to try to save her. I have poisoned her, it is currently incurable, but perhaps there's a chance that someone could crack it."

"What are the chances?" Kisame asked urgently, anger lacing his words.

"With you living so far out in the country?" Sasori scoffed, "about a hundred to one. And if you chose her over us, I'll have to kill you." Kisame glared, but didn't move.

His natural instincts were kicking in. He was being faced with a potential death threat, so he did what all cold-hearted shinobi would do, he stayed. "I see... well then I suppose there's not much of a chance for me to go back."

"None at all, welcome to Akatsuki, Kisame-san."

_End Flashback_

Kisame regretted his decision every day of his life. He should have gone after her, even if it meant death. He would never find someone so fitted to be with him, not if he lived a thousand years. Akatsuki had ordered her death, so now an Akatsuki would pay.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Itachi darted down the many steps into the basement. He had twenty minutes, if that, to break the Kyuubi out and escape this place with Sakura. That was a difficult task, even without complications.

He thought of the future. Where would they go? The second the cell was breached, the alarms would sound. Their plan would be revealed and they'd be hunted down. They had only one place they could turn to... Konoha. Even if Itachi was thrown in prison for life, Sakura would be safe, and that's all that mattered.

Skipping the last four stairs, Itachi searched for Naruto. He recognized the intense chakra in the fourth cell, at the end of the hall. He reached the door, locked with a seal, it was tricky. There was no chance to break out from the inside. This was one lucky prisoner.

He performed the hand signs and threw the door open, rushing in for the boy. When Naruto recognized the intruder he became the knuckle-head ninja he was famous as.

"Sasuke's brother! What the hell do you want? Finally gonna feed me, are ya?" Naruto yelled at the shinobi. Itachi resumed the deadly expression he had mastered before answering.

"Not quite, I'm hear to break you out. So are you coming?"

"Why the hell would you help me?" Naruto demanded.

"Because Sakura wants you safe, now come!" Itachi retorted, pulling Naruto by the arm. Naruto was speechless, Sakura was safe...

Itachi stopped, he felt something... a presence. "Kisame?" he whispered into the darkness ahead.

A low laughter was heard from beyond the cell doors, "I'm glad you haven't forgotten me, partner." Kisame exaggerated the last word, stepping into view.

"I thought I felt something. Now Kisame, step aside. I have business to attend to."

"Yes, I know all about your business," Kisame said with a sickly-sweet tone, "but now I have to attend to mine... let's call it, a trade off. I bet you wish you didn't leave your beloved kunoichi behind now, right?" Kisame nudged the door closed, laughing as he searched out his victim.

* * *

_...Cliff-hanger! I'm famous for those, aren't I? I hope you're glad the flashbacks are done, I am. But perhaps to bug you I should have an utterly pointless flashback involving Sasuke and Naruto screaming at each other... that seems to happen a lot in the anime... (completely kidding) _

_Enjoy and review! I need to know how well my endings are!_


	24. Metamorphisis

**_Hey... srry about the lack of updating... I've had volleyball... and lack of interest... plus I have the Anime con coming up... so lots of work._**

* * *

Itachi stared blankly at the stone door. What happened? He clenched his fists and teeth to prevent from lashing out. Something had gone wrong, but what? Why didn't he sense his traitorous teammates chakra? What the hell was wrong with him?

Itachi felt his chakra drain from him; slowly at first, but with increasing intensity. It only took a total of one minute before it tired him out just standing. He sighed and leaned against the door and slamming his forehead against the stone.

"What the hell is going on here?" an agitated voice piped up from behind. Itachi turned his back to the door, almost forgetting about the annoying blond he was trapped with.

"What does it look like?"

"It looks like you did something to really piss off your friend out there," Naruto stated coldly. Itachi sat down, resting against the cold rock, allowing for the last trickle of his chakra to disappear. It wouldn't be long before he would slip into unconsciousness.

"Apparently our plan backfired..." Itachi whispered to himself, regretting his decision to leave Sakura behind.

"Who's _we_?" Naruto asked, "and who's this kunoichi the blue freak was talking about?"

"None of your business, Kyuubi," Itachi growled, brushing the question off.

"It is my business, because I have the upper hand. I have grown accustomed to the cell, whereas you can hardly stand." Naruto did have a point, so Itachi reluctantly caved.

"Fine, the _we _that I was referring to is in regards to my fiancee, and that is the same kunoichi you are asking about," Itachi supplied with a strained sigh. He massaged his temples, awaiting the next loud outburst.

"How the hell can someone like you have a fiancee?! You're a cold-hearted bastard! No way, I won't believe it!" Naruto yelled at the criminal.

"You not helping the situation by asking pointless questions. Someone is going to die very soon unless I can get out of here, but seeing as Sasori designed this... I don't think I'll succeed."

"You give up too easily." Itachi eyed Naruto suspiciously, "I'm not saying that I'll help you, just that you're a pathetic excuse for a shinobi."

"You're the one that was here first, brat," Itachi retorted.

"You'd think that someone as renowned as _Uchiha Itachi _would have been able to sense his partners chakra, but apparently not."

I don't know what happened back there... Kisame must have been practicing masking it... either that or I was to focused on..."

"Her?" Naruto finished. Itachi nodded slowly, shutting his eyes tightly. His bad eyesight was giving him a headache.

The pair fell into silence. Itachi's breathing became more and more labored as the seconds ticked by, and Naruto became more and more restless.

Finally, Naruto spoke, "So... what's she like? Your fiancee, I mean."

Itachi grinned, "she's strong, outspoken and intelligent. She's loyal and trustworthy... and never gives up on her friends." Itachi grew quiet, if it weren't for the kid next to him, Sakura would be safe... they would be safe, together.

"I know a girl like that, too. She was taken by you scum-bags. Haruno Sakura, you know her?" Naruto asked sadly.

"Sakura..." he let the name roll off his tongue, "I ought to, don't you think?"

"If she was kept here, yes, you should know!" Naruto exclaimed, growing angry.

Itachi rolled his head back, pursing his lips, "My fiancee... did I mention that she has an abnormal quality?"

"What, like... perhaps she doesn't exist?"

"Not quite, Kyuubi. The woman I vowed my life to... she has pink hair."

Naruto gagged.

"What! Are you honestly saying that you're going to marry Sakura?!"

"Look who finally caught on, yes, I am going to marry Sakura. That is, if she survives the night."

A fist collided with Itachi's cheek. "How dare you trick her into marrying you! You filthy bastard! I should kill you for that!" Another blow to the face.

Itachi laughed, quietly at first, but grew louder. "It won't make much of a difference, Kisame's going to kill her now. So hit me all you want, I deserve it. I've murdered my love."

"Stop calling her that! She's been gone a month, people don't fall in love in a month!" Naruto felt tears drip down his face as he continued to punch Itachi. Eventually his blows grew weak and meaningless, and Itachi could block them.

"If what we share isn't love, then nothing is. Sakura is the reason I wake up in the morning, she's the reason I train so hard everyday, I train to protect her. I failed to protect her, Naruto-kun. I failed."

Naruto was shocked to know that Itachi knew his name, but didn't want to hear his love story. "How do I save her?"

Itachi glanced over and wiped the blood from his lip, "You can't... she's already gone. Kisame would have finished her quickly. Perhaps, if I'm lucky they'll let me out, but... I doubt it."

"No. Sakura's alive, I can feel it. I'm sure that if she was really dead, I would be able to tell. She's alive somewhere, alive and well."

"You have no idea how much I wish that to be true... no idea..." Itachi took one last look at the boy he had tried to rescue then fell unconscious.

Naruto knew Sakura needed him. He had only one choice left...

_Oi, Kyuubi? Are you there?_

_**Yes, where else would I be?**_

_I need your help to get out of here... please. _

_**I could help you, Naruto, but first you have to release me.**_

_I can't do that, you know it. But Sakura is in danger and I can't get out of here, not without you._

_**I see, so the little child comes running back? What is this girl to me? **_

_If I don't get out of here soon, she'll die, then the assassin will come for me._

_**Well I suppose that is a threat then... I guess I have no choice, but be wary... this may be too much for you.**_

_I'm ready, thank you, Kyuubi._

_**Naruto.**_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

At the same time, Sakura also felt a disturbance deep in her subconscious.

_**Sakura! Hey, over here!**_

_What on Earth? Where am I? _

_**That damn fiancee of ours betrayed us. You're under his genjutsu.**_

Sakura vaguely recalled seeing a slight flutter of his hands only moments before.

_Why would he do that? Do I mean so little to him?_

_**No, I believe he didn't want to endanger you. He went after Naruto.**_

_Where is he then? It's taking him too long!_

_**Obviously something went wrong. You need to get out the genjutsu and go check.**_

_What if I'm too late? He could be dead!_

_**No, you'd know if he passed already. Besides, the Akatsuki wouldn't kill Itachi, he's much to valuable.**_

_Okay, I'll go, but how will I break this hold he has on me?_

_**It's easy, I'll do it. My mind is on a different wavelength than the genjutsu. I'll release it, then you go find Itachi. Remember, the cells are on the bottom floor. Oh yes, don't forget to grab a few kunai before you go... I think I hear an intruder.**_

_Right, let's do this._

* * *

Okay... that's then end of that chapter. Sorry if the characters are OOC, sorry if the storyline is inconsistent, sorry if my grammar and spelling aren't good enough and sorry for the slow updating. Phew. _  
_


	25. A Nail's All I'll Need

_**Phew, almost didn't get one out. Well I apologize for lack of updating... I suffer from an extreme case**_ **_of procratination. Yes, I did just make that up. Well I've also been working on my (ours... ELA... lol that's like english class) Epic Naruto Fan Flash. It will indeed be epic... quite delightful._**

* * *

With a bright flash, Sakura was free. She blinked back the dark spots in her vision and shook her hair from her face. It was still dark outside, she not have been out for long, ten minutes at the most. Any longer and she wouldn't still be there.

Her inner self was right, someone was coming, she could sense their chakra pulsing down the hall. 'Kunai... where are they?' Sakura dashed around the room, checking her packs for the weapons. They were nowhere to be found.

"How is this possible?" she hissed under her breath. The intruder was right outside her door now, she'd have to resort to using taijutsu.

The doorknob turned slowly, making Sakura freeze and focus on her opponent. She analyzed the chakra once more... she knew it. Such a huge mass of energy, it was Kisame. 'Something's not right. What would he be doing here at such a time?'

Sakura backed up to the far wall as he entered. "Kisame-san... what's the meaning of this?" Sakura inquired, voice quivering.

"You're awake? You mean, you let Itachi waltz off to his death voluntarily?" Kisame smirked.

"Death? What do you mean?" she whispered, eyes growing wide.

"Didn't you hear the screams? No, I suppose not... those cells are pretty sound-proof..."

"SHUT-UP!" Sakura screeched, then quieted, "what is going on?"

"Poor, pathetic kunoichi... can't you figure it out? No? Well then I suppose I'll just have to fill you in." Kisame pushed the door closed, and leaned against the wall leisurely, "I have fulfilled my purpose for being here. I have taken my revenge against Akatsuki, by defeating your beloved Itachi."

"Th-thats impossible... you could never beat him, ever!"

"Really, do you really think that? Wouldn't Itachi be here then, instead of me?" Kisame stated, crossing his arms smugly.

Sakura glanced towards the window, forcing herself not to believe the traitor. "Get away from me. I will decide whether your words are true or false."

"I'm afraid that's not quite possible. You see, I have a job to complete."

"And that would be?" Sakura said through clenched teeth.

"Your death, Sakura-san."

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Naruto felt the power of the Kyuubi rush through him. It basically made the cell he was in obsolete. The seals placed on the rock around him attempted frantically to suck away his chakra, but to no avail, he was unstoppable. There was only one drawback to this immense power, he couldn't tell friend from foe.

He crouched down on all fours, obtaining a dog-like stance. His vision altered allowing him to view the chakra patterns surrounding the cell. With one calculated blow, he broke through the rock, sending the shards rocketing against his skin. He felt no pain, only the burning energy flowing through him.

This was the first time Naruto had ever unleashed the Kyuubi without feeling an intense emotion. Having a relatively clear head allowed for a more precise use of the chakra. He focused on the other beings in the headquarters. It would be odd for them to still be asleep, so Naruto checked on them.

With his advancement in chakra, Naruto was able to accurately pick out the other chakra signatures, only to find them all securely fastened in a genjutsu, all but three. There was one figure anxiously pacing their room, as if expecting some kind of attack. The figure finally threw open their door and exited the room. The other two were facing each other, unmoving. One of them must be Sakura.

Naruto sprinted out of the cell into the dismal hall. The torches extinguished hours earlier, leaving charred, blackened stumps of wood hanging on the wall.

"Ah, screw it..." Naruto whispered, then promptly executed his rasengan jutsu. The sphere of chakra revolved quickly in his palm. Naruto grinned at the low roof. "This place does need a little retouching." He leapt up and crashed through the roof with a loud crash.

When the dust cleared, Naruto was in another similar-styled room. There were no windows, only stone. This room did not suppress chakra, so it must be a bedroom of sorts. The cot was in total disarray, with the small blanket ripped to shreds and the beams shaved away to next-to-nothing. Someone had been in a state of great confusion, or great insanity.

Naruto checked once more for Sakura, she was in the room over, with her attacker blocking the door. The door was made of wood, he could easily rasengan right through it and the attacker. He'd be out with Sakura before the night was over.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"My death? You just told me your revenge against Akatsuki was completed, you bastard."

"My revenge against Akatsuki may be complete, but not my revenge against you."

Sakura pursed her lips together, "what have I done to offend you? I didn't just murder your love, did I?" She glared at the criminal with growing intensity.

"Not quite, I did once love someone, but Akatsuki took them from me. If I'm not allowed to be in this organization and have love, no one should. In fact, I believe there should be a punishment for that, death."

"You're insane!" Sakura exclaimed, backing against the cold wall. She once again searched frantically for a weapon, but was futile. It was her against a psychopath, a psychopath with a five foot long sword.

Just as she sensed Kisame's intent to attack, she also sensed something else. A semi-familiar chakra, and a powerful one at that. In mere seconds she realized it was Naruto, with the 'red' chakra he spoke of. She grinned inwardly, knowing Kisame's life was at an end. There was no ninja on earth that could defeat Nine-tails Naruto.

She waited for the strike. She waited, and waited, but nothing happened. She made sure Naruto was still there, but noticed another presence beyond the door. She gasped.

'Deidara?' She thought, scanning the chakra. It was definitely Deidara. She hadn't spoken to him since... then. But she wasn't about to let him die because of her.

"What is it, kunoichi? Something catch your interest?" Kisame inquired, unsheathing the Samehada.

"No, I'm just planning out all the ways I can kill you in under five minutes," Sakura replied icily.

"Tsk, such a temper... I like it."

"Well take a good look, because it's the last thing you'll see," and with that Sakura rushed forward, palming the short nail she found wedged between the rocks in the wall. For an experienced ninja like her, a nail was all she needed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Deidara exited his room. For the last ten minutes he had heard quite the commotion. He had expected it to be solved quickly, but it didn't. He heard crash after crash, then realized something was direly wrong.

Running to the room next to his, he found Sasori out cold, trapped in a genjutsu... Itachi's. Deidara had been lucky, due to his scope the genjutsu didn't affect him. Was Itachi planning to betray them? If so, what would happen to Sakura? Deidara knew that he wouldn't be able to be with her, but he still loved her... and would protect her with his life.

Deidara left his room and travelled out to Sakura's room. He would just make sure she was okay, then go back. She wouldn't even know he was there.

He stepped quietly, not wanting to alert anyone of his presence, although it seemed everyone was under the genjutsu. As he reached Sakura's door he sensed someone from behind. Turning slowly he saw the jinchuuriki that was supposedly 'dead.'

"What kind of jutsu is this? To bring back the dead... what are you?" Deidara whispered at the glowing form.

Naruto bared his teeth, angered at the disturbance. "You... you're Akatsuki too?"

Deidara suddenly became very frightened. This wasn't just some jutsu, this was the Kyuubi in human form who had apparently cheated death. It didn't take a genius to know that the Kyuubi was the worst of the demons, the most deadly. To this kid, a leaf ninja, Akatsuki were meant to be destroyed.

Naruto glanced past Deidara to the door. He growled softly, urging Deidara to turn around. Deidara realized what the kid wanted. He pressed his ear against the wood, learning of the situation.

As soon as he heard Kisame speak, he knew what was happening. Itachi hadn't betrayed them, Kisame did. Now he was after Sakura. It took Deidara all of three seconds to run back to his room and find his clay pouches and return to provide backup for the kid.

"After we save her, you are still my enemy. If I meet you again later on, I will kill you, Akatsuki. For now, we are allies. This fight shouldn't be too difficult, seeing as there's three against one, but I will not underestimate him. If I get into trouble, you help out the best you can without blowing Sakura or myself up, got that?" The Kyuubi spoke through Naruto at this point, creating an echoing, ominous voice that was wise beyond the child's years.

Deidara nodded, knowing full well that his jutsus were next to useless in this close-range battle, but if it came down to it, he could use taijutsu. Deidara gauged the Kyuubi's chakra. It was off the charts, there was no way he'd lose to Kisame.

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_**Now for me to think up an epic battle scene where everything becomes drastically overdramatized and angsty. Please review and stay tuned for the next chapter: Title unknown **_


	26. Lies and Lost Loves

_**Guess what! This is the last chapter!!! Yay... or not... :( I hope this end is somewhat satisfying. Please no flames, I don't want my final reviews to be mean. Alright, I will make a sequel eventually, relax.**_

_**Oh yes, and if anyone out there is skittish with gory scenes, watch out.**_

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Sakura dove forward, straight at Kisame. Her speed surpassed his greatly and his smirk widened when he sensed the challenge.

"I forgot how crafty you are, kuniochi!" Kisame shouted, holding the Samehada out in front of him like a shield. Sakura dug her heel into the stone and switched directions, attempting to come at him from the side.

Once again, Kisame used the Samehada to ward her back. Sakura grunted and changed directions once more, leaping against the wall. She scaled the wall part way until she was above his head.

"Coward, you don't see me with a weapon keeping you away," Sakura taunted icily. That comment made Kisame glower and lower his guard slightly, enough for Sakura to get a quick attack in.

Her hand shot out, releasing her hidden weapon. She had positioned herself in the shadows, so the nail wouldn't reflect the light until the last moment, by then it would be too late.

Kisame saw arm whip around, but missed the projectile. Sakura grinned as the iron sliced its way towards her opponent, it was all over.

Sakura was wrong. At the last minute, Kisame threw up the Samehada in a last attempt to stop the nail. He had managed to deflect it slightly off its course, but it still made contact with the criminal.

Kisame clutched his cheek tightly. Blood soon began to drip between his fingers and stain the hem of his sleeve. "You little bitch..." he mumbled between clenched teeth.

Sakura knew it was now or never. He was in pain, and not thinking properly. With two quick leaps, she was in striking range. Even a single kick from Sakura would incapacitate her opponent. Tsunade had taught her well.

Sakura built up chakra in her foot and released it in a violent roundhouse kick. She felt it connect, but not quite the way she wanted it to.

Kisame had a firm hold of her leg, his grip bone-crushing. Sakura cried out in pain as he slowly crunched the bones in her left ankle. She focused her chakra to the slowly disintegrating bones, healing them slightly. She had to break from the hold, or else all of her chakra would be drained trying to heal.

"Hurts a bit, huh kunoichi?" Kisame hissed, still holding his cheek with his free hand.

Sakura stopped healing her ankle, allowing Kisame to crush it completely, rendering her it useless.

"You'll need a damn good healer to fix that, won't you?"

"It's a good thing that that's what I am." Sakura snapped a quick jab at Kisame's left shoulder, snapping his collarbone and causing it to erupt from his flesh in a bloody mess. "Just as I thought, fish bones."

Kisame stumbled back, dropping his arm from his cheek, revealing his face wound. He cried out in pain, splattering blood from the gaping hole in his cheek against the ground.

His cheek had been sliced from lip to cheekbone with the nail still lodged right below his temple.

"You sorry little... I'm gonna kill you."

"It's over Kisame, you're lucky your still conscious," Sakura informed, dropping her arms and looking towards the door.

"It's not over until I say so!" Kisame growled, lunging forward attempting to strike her with the nail he had just ripped from his face. Sakura recoiled in shock, tripping backwards on her bad ankle.

She winced in pain as her feet flew up from underneath her. 'I messed up...' she thought angrily as her head hit the rock wall, rendering her unconscious.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sakura opened her eyes slowly, her head throbbing fiercely.

'I'm not dead? At least I hope not.' She thought groggily.

"Hey, Sakura-chan! You're alright!" A familiar voice yelled a few feet from her ear.

"Sakura-chan? Please be okay... how many fingers am I holding up?" Another voice whispered to her. She opened her eyes fully to see Naruto and Deidara crouching by her bed. Deidara was holding up three fingers.

"Three. I'm not blind Deidara-kun, just in pain."

"Yeah... you hit your head pretty hard, un," Deidara nodded, rubbing his own head tenderly, as if imagining her pain.

"You saw that?" Sakura asked warily, not remembering if Deidara and Naruto were even present.

"Your friend broke the door down around that time. I saw it over his shoulder, un."

"Hey, if I didn't I don't think Sakura-chan would be awake now!" Naruto belted out.

"I never said I wasn't grateful for your tailed beast," Deidara smirked at the boy.

"Hey! I was behind all that, not Kyuubi!" Naruto flexed, "See that? Pure ninja genius!"

Sakura chuckled at her old friend. She looked around. She was in Deidara's room, his art bench was pushed up against the wall and the bed was dragged to the center of the room.

"What happened to Kisame?" she asked suddenly, full knowing the answer.

"I took that bastard and ripped his heart out." Naruto said faintly, jaw clenched and eyes dark.

"He wouldn't have lasted much longer anyways, he had lost so much blood, un." Deidara added, trying to give the credit to Sakura.

"Naruto... is this true? You killed him?" Sakura asked, worried. She didn't like to hear that the Kyuubi took control of Naruto.

"He was going to hurt you Sakura-chan, I had to!" Naruto voiced urgently.

"Yes, I am so thankful, but it was me that got you into this whole mess in the first place..." Naruto began to retort, but stopped himself and shook his head and grinned at Sakura. They sat for a moment in silence.

Deidara started fidgeted slightly, then sighed. "You're gonna have to leave now... right?" Naruto nodded to him and Sakura.

"We'll have to get out of this hole within the next ten minutes, or else we risk your teammates catching us."

Sakura considered this for a moment, "Was Kisame telling the truth, that Itachi's dead?"

Naruto began to speak, but was stopped by a glare from Deidara. "Yeah... I'm so sorry, Sakura-chan. His chakra was drained from the cell he was trapped in and... he didn't make it," Deidara told her sadly.

Sakura nodded, her mind a blank. Itachi was... dead? How could one day they be sitting peacefully beneath the stars, enjoying each others presence, then he be dead the next? They were going to be happy together, but as usual, Sakura wasn't allowed to be happy.

She held back the tears that were threatening to spill from her eyes. She wasn't supposed to end up with Itachi, she knew that and so did Naruto. "We have to leave now... it's now or never..." her voice cracked slightly as the pain of his death hit her.

So she let the tears flow, who cared if Naruto saw her sorrow? Who cared if Deidara grew jealous of how much she loved Itachi? She had loved him, but now he was gone, what did anything matter?

Sakura screamed out, smashing her fist into the pillow and breaking clean through the bed. "Not you too! Don't be gone... I need you!" She bellowed, her very steps cracking the stone beneath her. Sakura cried out, both Sakuras felt the pain. Her inner self wanted to get revenge, but it had already been carried out.

Deidara grasped her shoulders, "Sakura, please stop... you need to go now, there's not enough time. The genjutsu won't hold much longer, un."

Naruto took Sakura's hand and dashed out of the room. As he reached the seal he turned and nodded to Deidara, "I sure as hell hope we don't meet again, Akatsuki."

"Same to you, jinchuuriki, un. Take care... Sakura," Deidara whispered her name, almost treasuring it, savoring it. It would be under much different circumstances if they were ever to meet again. Deidara waved as the pair slipped under the boulder and stopped to take one last look back.

Sakura glanced at Deidara, giving him a small, wistful smile. Her thoughts were similar to his, but she had a feeling... they would meet again.

"Naruto... what's going to happen to me? The village knows what I've done..."

Naruto stopped and looked her in the eye, "there's nothing tying you to that organization... not anymore. You'll be fine, there's no proof of any sort of betrayal. Plus, you were going to save me, right?" He laughed lightly then took her in his arms.

"I missed you so much, Sakura-chan. Everyone did, I'm sure they'll be so happy to see you back."

Sakura bit her lip and sighed. There was nothing for her back there, but she did have a home back in Konoha. A home and friends who wouldn't judge her for what she had done.

"Alright, Naruto... let's go home." Her heart bled, but she persisted. She had survived heartbreak from one Uchiha, she could do it again. 'At least... I should be able to...'

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Alright, Itachi-san. Get out of there, we have to wake the others up, un," Deidara murmured, nudging the Uchiha with his foot.

"Sakura... where... is she?" Itachi muttered, stirring into consciousness.

"Don't worry about her, she's not of consequence now. What you do need to worry about is the fact that your partner's dead and everyone else is put out by your genjutsu, un!" Itachi sat up sharply, glaring at Deidara.

"What do you mean, not of consequence? Where. Is. Sakura?"

Deidara sighed, "Don't blame me, I'm just the messenger. Sakura... well Kisame... she's dead, Itachi."

Itachi stood for a moment, then took a deep breath, "I would get out of here if I was you, Deidara-san." Deidara complied, bursting out of the room. Within seconds he could hear the smashing of walls and the crashing of stone.

Itachi had taken Sakura's death much harder than she did his. Itachi hadn't loved anyone since he was very young, and Sakura... well, she was his soul-mate. He was sure of this.

He wiped his bloody knuckles against his cloak, ignoring the pain. He knew that he'd have to explain the circumstances of the deaths to Leader, he had to prepare. He dragged himself to his room and peered around.

It was still dark, but the sun would be rising soon. How would he explain why Sakura died? Just tell him that Kisame went nuts and took her out? But that didn't cover why he didn't kill Kisame and why everyone was under genjutsu. Perhaps it would be easier not to have to explain the situation.

Itachi eyed his katana. How easily he could fall upon that blade and be rid of this cruel world. But that would be giving up. He couldn't do that, not now. That would just prove that he was connected to Sakura, but what would it matter, he'd be dead.

But truly, who knew the extent of the rinnegan's powers? Leader's bizarre doujutsu may very well be able to contact the dead. Who knew? There was only one person close enough to Leader to know anything personal about him, Konan.

How would either Leader or Konan feel if one of them was killed? Would they mourn? Itachi tore himself with these thoughts, submitting himself fully to his emotions. His heart was just another organ in his body, the pain emitting from it should cease eventually. At least, he hoped so.

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_**NO FLAMES! I know you want to, but please contain yourself. I told you, no happy endings so yeah... I'll make a sequel like I said earlier, but not right away. Please tell me what you thought if my story and any suggestions to improve the sequel. Thanks and I love you all so much for your faithful reviewing and encouragement!**_


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